Worker jailed 8 months for knife attack

A construction worker was jailed for eight months yesterday for attacking his colleague with a knife in a dormitory.

Zhang Fu, 38, had quarrelled with Mr Su Ergen, 38, after a group dinner on Sept 8. In the early hours of the next morning, Zhang went to the victim's dormitory room, where he charged at him with a knife.

Mr Su grabbed at the weapon in a bid to fend off the attack, and suffered an injury between his thumb and index finger. This left him with a 3cm laceration on his hand which required surgery.

Yesterday, Zhang, a Chinese national, was sentenced after pleading guilty to voluntarily hurting his victim with the knife, which had a 14cm blade.

Zhang also admitted to a second charge, of hurting another colleague, Mr Ma Lihu, 42, who had also been at the dinner. This was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that Zhang's dispute with Mr Su arose following the dinner at a restaurant, after which they had a round of drinks. Both men later went back separately to their separate quarters at the dorm in Sengkang East Road.

Mr Su returned to his second-floor room at around 1.15am to find Zhang in it. Mr Su also found Mr Ma, his roommate, lying on his bed and bleeding from the chest.

Zhang then committed the offence when Mr Su shouted at him to ask what had happened.

Calling for a jail term of at least six months, Deputy Public Prosecutor Crystal Tan said Zhang had planned the attacks, seeking out his victims after the row.

The injuries suffered by Mr Su were not minor, and could have been more serious had he not grabbed the blade, Ms Tan said. Zhang told the court he had lost self-control.

Expressing remorse, he said he was married and had two school-going children back home to support, along with an aged mother. He could have been jailed for up to seven years, caned and fined.

This article was first published on Nov 26, 2014.
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