Mandatory treatment order for man who threw knives out of 4th-floor window after girlfriend accused him of cheating

SINGAPORE — Upset that his then-girlfriend had allegedly accused him of cheating in their relationship and had thrown his laptop out the window of the fourth floor apartment where they lived, Rannie Yeo Boon Hua took their argument a step further by throwing three kitchen knives out of the window.

On Monday (June 6), the 44-year-old was sentenced to undergo a 12-month mandatory treatment order after he pleaded guilty earlier to a single charge of committing a rash act that could endanger human life.

A mandatory treatment order is a community sentencing option offered to offenders suffering from mental conditions that contributed to the offence.

Two other charges were take into consideration for Yeo's sentencing.

Yeo is also said to have voluntarily caused hurt by slapping his then-girlfriend, as well as using criminal force by pulling her around the unit and to the ground floor of the block of flats where they stayed.   

Court documents showed that on Nov 1, 2020 at around 11pm, a member of the public called the police to say that Yeo was hitting his girlfriend and the couple were shouting.  

The location of the dispute was not stated in court documents.

Investigations found that a “fierce argument” between the two took place at around 10pm that evening over Yeo’s alleged infidelity.

Court documents stated that during the course of the argument, Yeo threw three knives with blades measuring between 12.5cm and 15.5cm out of the window after his girlfriend allegedly threw his laptop out the window.

Though no one was hurt by Yeo’s actions, he admitted that he was aware of the “real risk” that what he did might have fatally hurt someone.

While searching for the laptop with his girlfriend on the ground floor, the pair got into a scuffle and another knife and a pair of scissors fell out of Yeo’s pants.

Again, court documents did not state why Yeo had them with him at that point in time.

The knives and the scissors were eventually seized by the police, who found the corridor along the flat where the pair lived to be in a “mess” when they arrived. Court documents did not state if the police had recovered Yeo's laptop. 

For committing a rash act that either endangers life or the personal safety of others, Yeo could have been jailed up to six months or fined up to S$2,500, or both.