Man slashed woman with kitchen knife as he was stressed, wanted to feel better

SINGAPORE - A man with psychotic disorder thought of attacking someone so that he would feel happy and not live his life in misery.

Neo Hong Wei, 23, had not taken his medication for three days prior to slashing a 27-year-old woman on her head and body with a kitchen knife in September last year.

On Tuesday (March 23), he pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to Ms Ong Hui Xian with the 31cm-long kitchen knife in the carpark near Block 412 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3.

He has been in remand since the incident.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong said Neo felt very stressed while he was at home that day and thought of "doing something bad" so that he could feel better.

Thinking of attacking someone, he took a knife with a 17cm blade from the kitchen and left home.

At the car park, Neo made eye contact with Ms Ong, who was walking towards him, and took the knife out from behind him.

Seeing this, Ms Ong, who did not know Neo, ran away but he gave chase.

While running, Ms Ong tripped and fell. Neo approached her and slashed her head and body repeatedly while she tried to block the blows.

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Despite her injuries, Ms Ong managed to get up and flee, screaming for help while Neo pursued her.

An off-duty police officer who was in his flat heard Ms Ong screaming and saw Neo running after her with a knife.

He rushed downstairs, borrowed a hoe from a construction site nearby and approached Neo in the carpark.

When the police officer told Neo to put the knife down, he shouted "why" and started slashing his own forearm with the knife.

With the help of members of the public, the police officer disarmed Neo and tied him up with a rope.

Police officers who arrived at the scene noted that Ms Ong was in visible distress and had dried blood on her face. She suffered multiple lacerations and abrasions on her head and body.

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Psychiatric assessment by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) found that Neo had a psychotic disorder but "he was not so psychotic as to have abdicated his mental capacity to know right from wrong".

The IMH report dated October last year added that Neo is at risk of acting violently towards others and is unlikely to be compliant with psychiatric treatment if left to his own devices.

District Judge May Mesenas asked for Neo to undergo another medical examination so as to better understand his medical condition and if it contributed to his offences.

Neo's lawyers, Mr Josephus Tan and Mr Cory Wong from Invictus Law Corporation, said that when they visited him in Changi Prison, he had been taking his medication.

Those convicted of voluntarily causing hurt with a deadly weapon can face up to seven years' jail, fined and caned.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.