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Regular 'ice' user gets jail for stabbing fellow customer at Mr Prata outlet after complaining of slow service

SINGAPORE — After causing a scene at a Mr Prata outlet over his food not being ready, a regular user of the illicit drug methamphetamine, also known as "ice", stabbed a customer who had tried to defuse the situation.

Regular 'ice' user gets jail for stabbing fellow customer at Mr Prata outlet after complaining of slow service
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  • In June this year, Imran Othman, 47, caused a scene at a Mr Prata outlet complaining that he had to wait a long time for his food
  • A customer tried to calm him down and got stabbed by Imran with a knife
  • When Imran was arrested, police officers found a packet of methamphetamine on him. He tested positive for using the drug
  • Imran was sentenced to three years, five months and two weeks' jail

SINGAPORE — After causing a scene at a Mr Prata outlet over his food not being ready, a regular user of the illicit drug methamphetamine, also known as "ice", stabbed a customer who had tried to defuse the situation.

Imran Othman, 47, was sentenced to three years, five months and two weeks’ jail after he pleaded guilty on Friday (Dec 16) to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt and one charge each of drug possession and consumption.

Another count of voluntarily causing hurt was taken into consideration during sentencing.

WHAT HAPPENED

The court heard that at about 10pm on June 24 this year, Imran was ordering food at the Mr Prata outlet on Bedok Reservoir Road.

Upset that his food was still not ready at about 10.50pm, he shouted at restaurant staff members asking why his order was taking such a long time.

Imran threw the receipt at a waitress and punched a glass wall, though it did not shatter.

Mr Derrick Kwa, 43, and Mr Koh Jiang Soon, 31, were having their meal at the restaurant at the time.

Seeing Imran creating a scene, Mr Kwa tried to calm the man down. But Imran got angry and shouted vulgarities at Mr Kwa, prompting Mr Kwa to respond in kind.

Mr Koh stepped in and tried to separate the two men. At this point, Imran’s food was ready and he grabbed it before he walked away from the shop.

Imran then turned around and shouted at Mr Kwa, “Oi, lai!”, which means “come over'' in Mandarin.

Against Mr Koh’s advice, Mr Kwa followed Imran to a staircase near the shop.

There, Imran took out a knife and stabbed Mr Kwa in his abdomen and arm. 

Mr Koh jumped into the fray and tried to hold Imran back. In the struggle, he got slashed in his abdomen and shoulder. 

Mr Koh and Mr Kwa returned to the shop and washed their wounds. With bandages and cotton wool, they tried to stop their bleeding before returning to Mr Kwa’s home to rest. 

They did not seek medical attention that night. 

The next day, Mr Kwa woke up in pain. He felt dizzy and realised that his wounds were still bleeding. 

His wife called an ambulance and he was taken to Changi General Hospital. A medical report indicated that he suffered puncture wounds as well as a fracture near his left shoulder.

He was admitted for five nights and given 20 days’ hospitalisation leave.

As for Mr Koh, he went to a clinic the same day and was observed to have cuts on his body. He was given painkillers and had a tetanus vaccination.

The police were alerted to the incident only when the Singapore Civil Defence Force informed them of what had happened after receiving the call for an ambulance from Mr Kwa’s wife.

Police officers went to the eatery and after obtaining surveillance footage of the incident, arrested Imran on June 27 at a public housing block nearby.

Imran was taken to the Bedok Police Divisional Headquarters where police officers conducting a body search found a packet of crystalline substance. It was later found to contain at least 0.45g of methamphetamine.

The drug was also found in his urine samples.

Imran told the police that he had been using the drug since early 2022 because he felt stressed over family and financial matters.

On Friday, Deputy Principal District Judge Wong Peck noted that Imran had “quite a long list” of past convictions, though details of these convictions were not revealed in court.

She ordered Imran to compensate a total of S$1,271.92 to the two victims for their medical bills.

For voluntarily causing hurt with a weapon, Imran could have been jailed for up to seven years or fined or caned, or any combination of these punishments.

An offence of consuming methamphetamine carries a jail term of at least three years and a maximum of 10 years’ jail and a S$20,000 fine. Possession of the drug carries a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 10 years’ jail and a S$20,000 fine.

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