S'porean man, 22, jailed 2 years for randomly attacking 8 people with chopper & knife

A man who injured eight people with a chopper and a knife was sentenced on Oct. 24 to two years' jail.

Joseph Lau Jin Hua, 22, had randomly attacked his victims in the Commonwealth area.

Charges

The Straits Times (ST) reported that Lau had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon and one charge for possession of an offensive weapon.

Six other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Attacks

According to court documents, Lau attacked eight people on Feb. 3, 2024, between 6:45pm and 7:15pm.

He was armed with a chopper and a knife.

He was at the lift lobby of Block 31 Margaret Drive when he swung a knife at a six-year-old girl, causing the blunt end of the knife to hit her face.

She cannot be named due to a gag order. The girl was taken to National University Hospital with a 4cm abrasion on her neck and dental injuries.

ST reported that her father, who shielded her, suffered lacerations on his left forearm.

The attacks caused five other men and one woman aged 20 to 78 years old to suffer lacerations, scratches and bruises on various parts of their bodies.

Schizophreniform disorder

Lau claimed hearing voices telling him to "kill".

According to ST, he was diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder, which was untreated during his attacks, according to an Institute of Mental Health (IMH) psychiatric report dated Feb. 27, 2024.

This is a mental health condition that includes symptoms like hallucinations and delusions.

According to a Sep. 19, 2024, report, there was a causal link between Lau’s mental condition and the attacks.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh argued for a jail term of five to six years for Lau.

Needs close monitoring

Koh noted that due to Lau's condition, he requires treatment and close monitoring in a structured environment.

ST reported that an IMH report dated Jan. 8 noted that Tan remains a threat to himself.

This is because he continues to suffer from auditory hallucinations.

In addition, Lau was not responding well to treatment as his symptoms did not improve even with medication, according to ST.

Koh said: "The accused needs a structured treatment environment. He cannot be released safely into the community if his psychosis does not remit."

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