Woman, 37, gets jail for biting off colleague’s fingertip during Tuas workplace fight, had expected a fine

A woman who bit off her colleague’s fingertip during a workplace dispute was sentenced to eight months and two weeks’ jail after the Singapore court found that the injury caused was permanent and serious.

Li Yali, 37, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323 of the Penal Code.

A second similar charge was also taken into consideration during sentencing.

Dispute

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Li and the victim, both Chinese nationals and colleagues, were involved in an altercation on the night of Jul. 11, 2025, around 8.30 pm while trying to secure work at another company located in Jalan Boon Lay.

While the victim, Wang Jixiang, was speaking to a group of workers, Li approached her and scolded her, believing that she had been badmouthing her.

The confrontation escalated into an exchange of insults and vulgarities before turning into a physical altercation.

During the fight, Li pulled Wang’s hair and scratched her face, causing it to bleed.

This incident later formed the basis of the second similar charge that was taken into consideration for sentencing.

Fingertip bitten off

The following morning, on Jul. 12 at about 6 am, both women were back at their employer’s premises, Fu Yu Corporation Pte Ltd, at Tuas Drive 1.

The victim confronted Li about what had happened the previous night.

During the confrontation, Li bit Wang’s left middle finger, severing the tip and exposing flesh and bone.

The two were eventually separated by their manager, and the victim was taken to the emergency department of National University Hospital (NUH).

Victim underwent amputation and extended medical leave

Wang suffered an amputation of the tip of her left middle finger, according to medical reports.

While there was no loss of sensation, and blood supply remained intact, the injury required surgical intervention.

Wang was then given medications for pain control, antibiotics and tetanus vaccination.

The victim also underwent procedures including wound debridement, bone shortening and artificial nail placement, and was given 46 days of hospitalisation leave, followed by 19 days of light duties.

Sentencing

The prosecution argued that the harm caused should be classified as moderate, seeking three to four months' jail for Li after applying a reduction for Li’s early guilty plea.

However, District Judge Vince Gui, as reported by CNA, took the view that the harm caused was more serious given the permanent nature of the amputation, and imposed a sentence of eight months and two weeks’ jail.

The judge agreed with the prosecution that biting constituted an aggravated form of assault, due to the risk of transmitting diseases involved.

Before the sentence was delivered, Li told the court that she was unfamiliar with Singapore’s laws and said she would accept the court’s decision.

After hearing the sentence, however, she indicated that she intended to appeal, saying that she had expected a fine instead.

Top images via Mothership, Canva