[Editors Note at 2pm on Apr. 21: Mothership understands that Zhou Yu Ye has not received her compensation and we have edited our earlier version of the story to reflect this information.]

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The elderly female hawker at Whampoa Hawker Centre who suffered first- and second-degree burns after a male customer tossed a scalding hot porridge at her was awarded a compensation of S$16,000.

Man unhappy eggs not cooked through

The incident took place at around 11am on Feb. 1, 2020 at Whampoa Hawker Centre.

Zhou Yu Ye, 66 years old then, was preparing a porridge order for Liew Zhang De (pinyin).

Liew was purchasing the porridge for his infant child and did not specify that he would like his eggs to be thoroughly cooked, according to Zhou.

Liew got angry and started swearing at Zhou after receiving his order and realising that the egg was not cooked to his preference.

Zhou said: "He was unhappy that the egg was not completely cooked, and asked me, 'How can infants eat raw eggs?'. After that, he swore at me and belittled me by saying that I'm just a worker."

Liew was still upset and continued scolding Zhou, even after she prepared another bowl of porridge for him, which Liew took.

Just as Zhou remarked that she was the boss of the stall, Liew spun around, opened the packet of freshly prepared porridge, and flung the scalding hot mixture at her.

Suffered first- and second- degree burns

Zhou said: "I got two huge blisters on my face. The doctor said that I have second-degree burns on my face and shoulder. They will definitely leave scars. The remaining skin injuries will require at least two years to heal."

She was found to have suffered first- and second-degree burns on her face and shoulder.

Zhou was given a week to recuperation initially, but it got extended by two more weeks, due to her wound's conditions, according to Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News (SMDN).

This forced her to close her stall, and she lost three weeks' worth of income during her recovery as a result.

Lawyers sought compensation for Zhou pro bono

Zhou's son, who was angered by the injustice that his mother had suffered, decided to take Liew to court.

She was represented by Darren Tan and Yeo Hsien Yang from Invictus Law Corporation.

According to SMDN, Tan and Yeo felt what happened to Zhou was unjust and offered to take on her case pro bono after learning about her financial difficulties.

With their help, Zhou was awarded a compensation of S$16,000.

The sum included her medical expenses of around S$2,000, her stall's loss of income of S$3,600, the cost of damages to Zhou, and the legal fees.

Liew sentenced to 12 weeks jail

Liew, a 38-year-old drinks stall owner, was said to have a bad temper, according to his mother, who declined to be named when she spoke to SMDN.

Liew's mother said: "My son always had a bad temper. He is definitely in the wrong. I can't say anything if the other party wants to take action. I just hope that this won't blow up. If the other party requests medical compensation that is within my means, I will definitely consider paying it."

She said both Liew and herself had apologised to Zhou after the incident.

Liew was sentenced to 12 weeks of jail in February 2022 for throwing the hot porridge with the intention to injure Zhou.

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Top image from Shin Min Daily News/Facebook and Rodney Darell/Google Maps