Another attacker who was part of a group that attacked a stranger at Clarke Quay, had earlier pleaded guilty to his crimes that were committed a mere 18 days after he was released on a supervision order for drug offences.
He was sentenced on Monday (27 February) to 5 years and 8 months imprisonment and 3 strokes of the cane, as well as being ordered to pay the victim, Justin Chua Yong Jie, $269.65 in compensation for the assault.
20-year-old Taitus Wong Wei Zhi was previously sent to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) for the consumption of methamphetamine, before reoffending and ordered to go through informative training two years later.
He was released under a supervision order on 2 March 2022, and was required to stay out of trouble until 15 November 2024, which he failed to adhere to.
He ganged up on 30-year-old Justin Chua Yong Jie and attacked him with his friends near Clarke Quay on 20 March 2022, smashing a glass bottle on his head repeatedly, because his friend thought the victim was staring at him.
Wong pleaded guilty earlier on1 February) to one count of assault and one count of consuming methamphetamine.
His accomplice in the assault, Dani Zulastri Mohamad Salim, was earlier sentenced to 8 months and 3 weeks imprisonment.
The case involving the third accomplice, 23-year-old Mohamad Amirul Shafi Abdullah, is currently still pending; while a fourth man who was present during the attack, 20-year-old Noor Shah Ryzwa Azman, was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal back in August.
Context
The group of guys were drinking at Circular Road on 20 March 2022 at about 7pm when Amirul showed Dani the knife that he had in his possession.
Dani Zulastri Mohamad Salim, Taitus Wong Wei Zhi and Mohamad Amirul Shafi Abdullah were drinking alcohol on 20 March 2022 at about 7pm at The Mask Restaurant and Bar along Circular Road.
Another Noor Shah Ryzqa Azman was also with the trio at the time, and they shared a bottle of whiskey before leaving the bar at about 10.30pm.
Wong was carrying the bottle of whiskey with him and drinking from it as they walked around the area, and the four drunk men then ended up near the Riverside Point mall along Merchant Road.
They wanted to buy cigarettes and asked a security guard for directions to a nearby 7-Eleven.
The victim was with his friends nearby drinking at a bar before he left and went to the 7-Eleven by himself, crossing paths with Amirul.
Amirul thought Chua was staring at him and attacked him from behind with Wong, who smashed the whiskey bottle on Chua’s head, resulting in him losing a patch of his hair,
They also rained punches on Chua, who had fallen onto the ground by this point, and Dani Zulastri then ran towards them and joined in the assault after hearing the commotion, kicking Chua.
Ryzwa was watching the attack from afar, before fleeing from the crime scene with the trio, running towards the State Courts.
After fleeing, Amirul called Wong and told him that during the attack, he used a karambit knife and slashed the victim three times.
Chua then went back to the bar while he was bleeding to seek help from his friends, and an ambulance was then called.
He was conveyed to the Singapore General Hospital with cuts to his scalp, diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and given 17 days of medical leave.
Wong was arrested on 29 March 2022 and a sample of his urine was found to have traces of methamphetamine.