Man, 81, stabs neighbour, 67, in the eye with a metal rod in Hougang, gets jail

Angered by his neighbour's alleged remarks outside his flat in Hougang, Chua Lye, 81, decided to use a metal rod to stab the other man in the face.

The attack left Chan Boon Hee, 67, with a tear in his right eye, almost blinding him in that eye.

Wanted to confront him about shouting vulgarities

On Apr. 1, 2023, Chua had purportedly heard Chan shouting vulgarities at him when he walking past his flat, reported CNA.

Though nothing escalated on Apr. 1, Chua approached Chan a week later on the morning of Apr. 8 to confront him.

Chua brought along a metal pole, and demanded an explanation from Chan, who denied the allegations.

Angered, Chan lifted the metal pole and hit Chan's face, hurting his right eye.

Chan called the police after, and Chua was arrested at the scene.

Chan was sent to the hospital.

Wants to move on from the incident

The attack saw Chan undergo treatment for a conjunctival tear, and had a cataract operation and lens implant subsequently.

He also had temporary loss of vision in his right eye, though it "mostly recovered" by June 2023.

Chan told Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) that a doctor told him a delay in treatment might have resulted in him losing his eyesight.

He also suffered from high fevers during that period.

Due to his injuries, Chan — a part-time driver by day and a karang guni collector by night — had to stop work.

As such, he lost several thousands of dollars in income.

Chan said that he hoped to let the incident go, and did not want to pursue the matter further, reported Shin Min.

Unhappy with neighbour who reported him to authorities

Chan, who has lived in Hougang for over 10 years, said that Chua moved in around three to four years ago, reported Shin Min.

According to Chan, the pair would usually greet each other, and often helped each other with simple repairs in their home and even purchased food for the other.

However, Chan had gotten into the habit of smoking along the corridor outside his house, and was subsequently warned by the authorities.

Chua revealed that he was the one who had reported Chan to the authorities, causing a rift between the two.

Sentenced to jail

The prosecutor argued that as a week had passed since Chua was allegedly provoked, Chua could not claim he was responding to any "provocation" from Chan, reported CNA.

Despite Chua's advanced age, there was also no evidence that he had any condition which would cause him to suffer disproportionately in jail as opposed to a typical offender, said the prosecutor.

The court also heard that Chua would be paying Chan around S$1,300 in compensation for his medical expenses.

On Dec. 6, 2024, Chua was sentenced to seven weeks in jail.

For voluntarily causing hurt, Chua could have been sentenced to up to three years' jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

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Top image from Shin Min