A 57-year-old man in Singapore was sentenced to 10 months in jail on Aug. 4, 2023, for pushing an 87-year-old cleaner to the ground causing him to suffer a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury.
Cheng Yew Kang, a security officer at the time, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Heng Yew Chuan.
"You think I'm scared of you ah?"
According to court documents, Heng was cleaning the Block 36 Teban Gardens Road area on the morning of Mar. 27, 2021.
He asked Cheng, who was sitting on a bench, to stand up so he could sweep the area.
Cheng thought Heng was being rude, stood up and said, "You think I’m scared of you, ah?"
Heng replied, "I'm also not scared of you."
Cheng then pushed Heng, causing Heng to fall and hit his head on the ground.
While Cheng stood over Heng, passers-by who witnessed the accident went forward to assist Heng, with one of them calling the police.
Heng was then sent to the hospital, where doctors assessed him to have a skull fracture, "traumatic brain injury", and a laceration on his forearm, among other injuries.
Heng was hospitalised for 29 days, during which he suffered an episode of delirium and also had to be on fluid restriction.
Heng passed away on Apr. 11, 2023.
Traumatic brain injury contributed to Heng's worsening dementia
Calling Cheng the "aggressor" in the incident, the prosecution asked for 10 to 12 months of jail.
They noted how Heng could not work after the incident and that his brain haemorrhages took four to five months to be resolved.
The prosecution also said Heng's pre-dementia worsened into actual dementia six months after the accident, partially due to the traumatic brain injury.
Top photo from Google Maps Street View.