4 months' jail for property agent who slashed man

A real estate agent who slashed a man on the face and chest with a knife outside a hotel in 2011 was sentenced to four months' jail yesterday.

Lim Choon Keong, 41, who pleaded guilty, was allowed to defer serving his sentence until Feb 25 to attend to work-related matters.

He had used an 8cm-long knife to attack Mr Yong Wei Keong, 31, at the entrance of Holiday Inn Atrium in Outram Road at about 1am on Oct 22, 2011.

Mr Yong, Mr Chow Keat Fong, 44, Mr Chow Kok Tong, 33, and Ms Ma Fongyan, 34, had just ended a drinking session at Holiday Inn Atrium. Lim had been waiting near the entrance to pick up Ms Ma, who is now his wife.

On seeing her at the entrance, he approached her. She stumbled and fell to the ground.

Mr Yong, a contractor, assumed that Lim had assaulted her and approached him, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Stacey Anne Fernandez.

Lim then took out the knife and slashed Mr Yong on his face and chest, inflicting two cuts measuring 7cm and 2cm on the temple and right forehead.

When the other two men intervened, the older Mr Chow was slashed in the face as well.

This charge was taken into consideration during Lim's sentencing. After a struggle, the younger Mr Chow, a contractor, managed to wrestle the knife away from Lim, who later drove off in his car with Ms Ma. Mr Yong's injuries were treated in hospital and he was discharged two days later.

Lim's lawyer Foo Cheow Ming said in mitigation that his client had gone to pick up his girlfriend and was not expecting such an incident, which Mr Foo described as a "life-changing event".

He told the court his client had prepared two cashier's orders of $2,000 each for Mr Yong and Mr Chow Keat Fong as a token of regret and remorse.

Lim could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000 for voluntarily causing hurt.

elena@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 05, 2015.
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