Jail for causing hurt to wife's colleague

Jail for causing hurt to wife's colleague

SINGAPORE - A container truck driver had a drunken row with his wife who had been "hanging out" with a male colleague living nearby, then decided to go and knock some sense into him - with a sledgehammer.

Lim Boon Cheow, 57, ended up fracturing the wrist of Mr Quek Then Choon and causing $7,800 worth of damage to his car.

Last Friday, Lim pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt to the 53-year-old insurance agent and was jailed for nine months.

A charge of committing mischief - by damaging the car - was taken into consideration by District Judge Salina Ishak.

Reading out the facts of the case, Deputy Public Prosecutor Rachel Ng said that on the evening of Oct 4, 2012, Lim drank 18 bottles of beer with a friend at a coffee shop.

He returned to his home in Jurong West and later had an argument with his wife. She denied cheating on him and he stormed out of the house.

He took the sledgehammer from his truck and went to confront Mr Quek. As the insurance agent was walking home at 11.30pm, Lim pounced and swung the hammer. Mr Quek fractured his left wrist when he warded off the blow.

Lim fell to the ground and the victim ran off. Lim then smashed the front and rear windscreens and two passenger door windows of Mr Quek's Toyota Camry as well as a headlight, signal light and its brake lights.

Mr Quek called the police who arrived soon after. They arrested Lim and seized the sledgehammer.

Asking the court to jail Lim for at least nine months, DPP Ng said the truck driver had laid in wait for Mr Quek and used "a large and dangerous weapon".

In reply, defence counsel Vijay Kumar argued that the fracture could not have been very serious as Mr Quek had declined treatment and was prescribed only painkillers and given three days of medical leave.

The lawyer also told the court that he had requested the X-rays of the injured wrist but was informed they were not available.

Mr Kumar said his client had been "deeply frustrated" with his wife's conduct. "He had acted with restraint for more than 10 years while trying to convince his wife to either end the marriage or stop the relationship with Mr Quek, but she did neither," he added.

Lim was allowed to speak to his wife for 10 minutes before being escorted from the dock by police officers who took him to Changi prison.

For causing grievous hurt, Lim could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.

khush@sph.com.sg


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