The 80-year-old man who had allegedly slashed an 88-year-old man on the face and fingers with a knife at Ang Mo Kio on Friday, was charged in court on 18 March with assault.
The accused, 80-year-old Teo Woo Cheng, was charged with voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, and has since been in remand at the Complex Medical Centre in Changi Prison for his medical assessment.
He is set to return to court on 6 April.
According to court documents, Two had cut the elderly victim with a knife, once on his left index finger, once on his right thumb and also around the victim’s mouth.
If found guilty, Teo faces a jail term of up to 7 years, a fine, caning, or any combination of the punishments.
Recap
An 88-year-old elderly man was allegedly slashed by an 80-year-old man at Ang Mo Kio after the victim had gossiped about him, and the alleged assailant was subsequently arrested by the police.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place on Friday (17 March) at about 6 pm at Block 122 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, in front of the Sheng Siong Supermarket in the block.
The area outside the supermarket, as well as the lift lobby nearby, was cordoned off by the police for investigations.
Attacked over gossip
A man who works nearby, 29-year-old Mr Wen, said that he had heard a commotion outside and later found out that an elderly man had been slashed and was bleeding out on the ground, with passers-by coming over to render aid to him.
He was seen sitting on the ground and leaning back against the wall with the left side of his shirt all red from the blood.
39-year-old Mr Luo, who works at a zi char stall nearby, said that the victim had long knife wounds on his face and over his nose.
According to a coffee shop assistant at a nearby eatery, Xie, the two men were regulars there.
About 2 days before the slashing, the victim had purportedly gone around gossiping about the suspect, and the suspect’s wife then found out about it and told him.
The two men then got into a fight on 15 March, with the suspect then threatening the victim “watch out or I will chop you,” to which the victim then told him that he was not scared of him, at the time.
Arrested & knife seized
The Singapore Police Force said that they were alerted to a case of assault on 17 March at about 6 pm at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, and an 88-year-old man was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital conscious.
SMDN reported that the 80-year-old suspect had apparently fled home after allegedly slashing the victim, while the passers-by were trying to help the bleeding man.
Two to three police officers later went to the man’s home to investigate and officers were later seen leaving the unit at about 7.30 pm with the elderly suspect in tow, without any expression on his face.
He was arrested for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
There were also blood-stained hand prints on the inside and outside of the lift, and a fruit knife believed to have been used as the weapon in the slashing was also seized by the police as a case exhibit, as police investigations are underway.
