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In a dispute over room lighting, a 93-year-old man took to hitting his roommate multiple times with his walking stick.
The 85-year-old roommate was subsequently left with fractured fingers and lacerations.
On May 28, Sim Hwa was sentenced to six months' jail, reported CNA; he had pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to his roommate at a home for senior citizens.
Fought over the room lighting
According to court documents seen by Mothership, the attack took place on the night of Oct. 17, 2020.
At 11pm, Sim entered his unit at the senior's home while his roommate was sleeping and switched the lights on.
His roommate then told Sim that he wanted to sleep and switched the lights off.
This sparked an argument between the pair — Sim turned the lights on again while his roommate reiterated his desire to get some shuteye and switched the lights off.
Angered by the debate, Sim then turned violent.
He picked up his walking stick and proceeded to hit his roommate — who was lying on the bed — multiple times.
In the midst of the struggle, the roommate fell to the ground, though this did not deter the elderly assailant who continued the assault.
Abrasions, lacerations, and fractures
The attack finally ended when a nurse at the home heeded the roommate's cries for help. She separated Sim from the downed senior and called for an ambulance.
In total, Sim had hit his roommate more than 10 times with the walking stick.
After he was taken to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), the roommate was found to have multiple abrasions and lacerations on different parts of his body.
X-rays also showed that the roommate had suffered fractures to his fingers.
He was subsequently hospitalised for 10 days at SGH before being transferred to Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital for another 17 days; his medical bills cost S$190.25 in total.
Second time he assaulted a roommate
CNA reported that Sim asked the judge for a light sentence, and promised not to fight anymore.
According to The Straits Times, it was the second time that Sim had been convicted for assaulting a roommate.
In May 2017, Sim had been sentenced to jail for 18 months after splashing a roommate with hot water and slashing him with a knife.
Coincidentally, that assault was also sparked by a dispute over lights, as his then-roommate turned off the lights while Sim was making himself a drink.
The 93-year-old suffers from liver cancer, but asked to be sentenced straight away in lieu of delaying proceedings to wait for his medical report.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Sim could have been jailed up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
Top image does not depict Sim Hwa. Photo by Hans Eiskonen via Unsplash