S'porean man, 47, angry that food was not ready, stabs & slashes 2 diners who tried to calm him

He also pleaded guilty to two drug-related offences.

Andrew Koay | December 18, 2022, 09:59 PM

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Angry that his food was not ready, a 47-year-old man took to verbally abusing the eatery's staff.

When another diner tried to intervene and calm him down, Imran Othman shifted the focus of his rage and later stabbed the diner — 43-year-old Derrick Kwa — with a knife.

He also attacked 31-year-old Koh Jiang Soon, who had been eating at the same spot, with the weapon.

For one charge of assault and two drug-related offences, Imran was sentenced on Friday (Dec. 16) to three years, five months and two weeks’ jail.

Another assault charge was considered during sentencing.

He had pleaded guilty.

Challenged the diner

Court documents seen by Mothership state that the incident took place around 11pm on June 24, 2022, at the Mr Prata at Block 742 Bedok Reservoir Road.

The Straits Times (ST) reported that Imran had punched a glass wall as he was scolding the Mr Prata employee, and then started hurling vulgarities at Kwa when the latter asked him to calm down.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Lu Jia was quoted as telling the court that Kwa then got angry and started arguing with Imran, before Koh tried to mediate between the two.

When Imran's food was ready, he picked it up, started to leave Mr Prata and then yelled at Kwa — "Oi, lai" — to come over, reported Today.

Against the advice of Koh, Kwa followed Imran to a nearby staircase.

Imran then took out a knife with a blade of about 6cm and stabbed Kwa in the abdomen and the left upper arm.

When Koh tried to stop the attack, he too was slased in the abdomen and shoulder.

Kwa woke up the next day dizzy and still bleeding

Imran would run away and dispose of the knife, while Kwa and Koh returned to the eatery to wash their wounds.

According to ST, Kwa did not seek medical attention until the next day when he felt dizzy and noticed that his wounds were still bleeding.

His wife then called for an ambulance around 3:30pm.

Kwa was hospitalised at Changi General Hospital for five nights and given 20 days of hospitalisation leave.

Imran was arrested three days after the incident (Jun. 27) after police established his identity with the help of closed-circuit television images.

Court documents state that he was found with a packet of crystalline substance containing methamphetamine — commonly known as "ice" — as well as traces of the drug in his urine.

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