30 months' jail for man who pushed fellow welfare home resident to the ground, resulting in permanent brain damage

SINGAPORE — During a scuffle with another resident at their welfare home, 47-year-old Hu Wee Lee pushed the man to the ground, causing him to hit his head and suffer traumatic brain injury. 

Hu pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Nov 15) to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt and was sentenced to 30 months' jail, backdated to Oct 5 which was the date of his arrest. 

At the time of the incident, Hu and the victim were residents at a welfare home in Pelangi Village. 

On March 15 at about 4pm, both of them were in the corridor of the home when Hu placed his arm around the victim.

However, the victim was not happy with this and pushed Hu away. He also told Hu not to touch him. 

Upset, Hu immediately let go of the victim and pushed him. 

They continued to push each other and at one point, Hu used both hands to push the victim forcefully on his shoulders. 

This caused the victim to fall backwards and hit his head on the floor. 

Another resident who saw the incident unfold shouted for help when he saw the victim lying motionless on the floor.

Hearing his shout, two of the welfare home's staff rushed to the scene and they immediately called for an ambulance. 

The victim was found on the floor with a bleeding nose. He was conscious but unresponsive. 

A police report was also lodged six days later on March 21. 

According to court documents, the victim was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. A scan also showed multiple areas of bleeding in the brain and several skull fractures. 

Although none of the injuries were life-threatening and the victim did not require emergency surgery, they resulted in “permanent irreversible brain damage”. 

The victim remained non-communicative and wheelchair-bound despite a course of rehabilitation. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min’s sought a sentence of 30 to 36 months’ imprisonment for Hu. 

When asked if he wanted to say anything in defence, Hu said: “No, I have nothing to say.” 

District Judge Bala Reddy agreed with the proposed sentence and sentenced Hu to 30 months’ jail, backdated to Oct 5, the date of his arrest. 

For voluntarily causing hurt, Hu could have been jailed up to five years, or fined up to S$10,000, or both.