Knife attack earns man 22 weeks in jail

A CONSTRUCTION company boss who went to meet a friend to settle a dispute about his girlfriend was surprised to see that he had taken along a colleague.

Nagasaravanan Uttamasegeran Pillai, 38, got into a row with the third man - 47-year-old Pannirchelvam Ramachandra - and swung a punch at him.

When he retaliated, Nagasaravanan took out a knife and slashed him on the left forearm and right thigh, then drove off.

He was jailed for 22 weeks yesterday for the incident in the carpark of Serangoon Plaza in Little India on June 27 last year. He pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Marcus Foo asked the court for a three-month jail term, saying that a deterrent sentence was needed as the accused initiated the assault and the offence took place in a public space.

In mitigation, Nagasaravanan's lawyer, Mr S. S. Dhillon, said his client was "not the type of person who goes around looking for trouble".

He said that the victim had "chosen to interfere" when Nagasaravanan wanted to speak to his friend. Mr Dhillon added that the victim had suffered only minor injuries, and his client had co-operated with the authorities during investigations.

District Judge Imran Abdul Hamid said that he took into account the fact that the victim "had some role to play" but Nagasaravanan's response was excessive, and he turned violent first.

Nagasaravanan will serve his sentence on April 30. He asked for a deferment to sort out his business affairs. He is out on $5,000 bail.

This article was first published on March 27, 2015.
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