S'porean man, 36, sets childhood friend on fire, stabs girlfriend while out on bail, jailed 1 year

After setting his childhood friend on fire, a man fled Singapore and was only arrested when he returned five years later.

While out on bail for the offence, he attacked his girlfriend at that time by punching her and stabbing her with a pair of scissors on separate occasions.

Donovan Doran Chung Yi Peng, now 36, pleaded guilty on Aug. 14 to three charges of voluntarily causing hurt.

Four other charges for a similar offence, harassment, and criminal intimidation were taken into consideration for sentencing.

He was sentenced to a year in prison backdated to Aug. 28, 2024, the date of his first arrest.

The fire

On Aug. 24, 2019, Chung caused a fire in a workshop in Eunos where his childhood friend worked as a carpenter, according to The Straits Times.

The two friends reportedly had a disagreement at the time.

Around 1:40am that day, Chung and another friend of his used lighters and cans of sealer spray they found at the workshop to set fire to the place and Chung's childhood friend.

The childhood friend ran out of the workshop and fell to the ground.

Chung scolded the man about their earlier disagreement, then left the place with his other friends while the workshop was still on fire.

The childhood friend was taken to hospital with burns on 11 per cent of his body surface area, requiring skin grafting and at least three operations, though he did not go through with one of them.

Hours after the fire, Chung and his friend, who was also involved, fled Singapore through Woodlands Checkpoint.

Chung managed to avoid capture for five years, until he was detained in Thailand and sent back to Singapore in August 2024, when he got arrested.

He was released on bail the day after his arrest, ST reported.

Assaulting his girlfriend

On two occasions in September and October 2025, Chung attacked his girlfriend at the time while still on bail.

She was a woman he was acquainted with in secondary school, and they got into a relationship in August 2025, according to ST.

On Sept 24, 2025, the woman had just returned from a trip, and the pair was in Chung's house.

Chung asked to see her phone because he suspected she might have been unfaithful to him.

When she refused, he pulled her by the arm and punched her in the face multiple times.

As she lay on the floor in a cradled position, Chung stabbed her thigh using a pair of scissors.

She screamed, alerting Chung's domestic helper, who then informed his mother. She called him to ask what was happening.

The attack caused a laceration over the girlfriend's thigh, and bruising over her eye and nasal bridge.

She sought medical attention after leaving Chung's house, and had the stab wound stitched up.

Despite the incident, the couple continued to see each other.

The second assault

Chung assaulted his girlfriend again less than a month later on Oct. 13, 2025.

While the couple were out eating dim sum at around 12am, they began to argue.

They later got into Chung's car, where he started to punch his girlfriend in the face multiple times, and took out a knife to threaten her.

After arriving at Chung's house around 12:30am, they continued to argue, and he punched her face repeatedly again.

Chung’s father came into the room when she cried for help, but he only told the pair to talk things out and left.

Chung then took out a metal rod about 80cm long and threatened to use it to hit her. He put it down after she pleaded with him.

When the woman sought medical attention later, she was assessed to have several injuries, including bruises, cuts, and abrasions on her head, legs, and fingers.

The court ordered Chung to pay her S$785.35 as compensation, or be jailed for an additional two days.

As of Aug. 15, he has yet to pay this sum.

Now engaged

According to Chung's lawyer, the couple's relationship ended soon, having lasted about a month, ST reported.

The lawyer also told the court Chung is now engaged and in a stable relationship with another woman. They are expecting their first child in October.

As part of the mitigation plea, Chung's lawyer said the impending birth of the child has given Chung a renewed sense of responsibility, making him determined to remain on the straight and narrow.