Jail, fine for man who gave friend samurai sword to scare minimart employee after public brawl

SINGAPORE — When a minimart employee refused to sell alcohol to Johanizam Johari, the pair got into a scuffle outside the store.

Johanizam retaliated by going home to retrieve a samurai sword that he had bought from e-marketplace Carousell. He then handed the weapon to his friend, Muhammad Faiz Hamzah, who threatened the employee with it.

However, his efforts came to naught when the employee scared off Faiz by chasing him with an umbrella.

On Monday (March 21), Johanizam was sentenced to three months’ jail and a fine of S$600. The 29-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to one charge each of fighting in public and possessing an offensive weapon.

He will begin serving his jail term on March 28 and remains out on bail.

The court heard that he and Faiz, 31, went to the minimart at Block 301 Serangoon Avenue 2 on Oct 18 last year at about 10.20pm.

They tried to buy alcohol but Johanizam did not have his National Registration Identity Card. Gu Desheng, 41, the minimart's staff member had asked to see it.

Johanizam was already tipsy by then, having consumed three cans of beer and another bottle of liquor before this. He asked Faiz to buy alcohol for him but Gu refused to accept this.

Johanizam and Gu began arguing and they both exchanged a Hokkien vulgarity. Shortly after, they stepped out of the store despite attempts by bystanders to keep them apart, and began fighting.

Gu threw punches at Johanizam who in turn kicked the other man. Faiz also joined in, with parts of the fight captured on closed-circuit television footage.

Johanizam and Faiz then walked away. At Faiz's request, Johanizam went to his nearby flat to retrieve the samurai sword, which had a 70cm-long blade.

He handed the weapon to Faiz at a staircase landing and they returned to the minimart.

Faiz took the sword out of its sheath in front of Gu with the intention of scaring him. Gu picked up an umbrella to defend himself and also scare the pair away.

Faiz then ran away and Gu chased after him.

He hid the weapon behind some piping at a nearby housing block, while Johanizam went to another block to continue drinking with his friends.

A member of the public lodged a police report. When police officers went to the scene and spoke to Johanizam, he told them that Faiz had run away.

Johanizam went to another nearby block to hide from the police, before eventually going back down to the void deck when another friend called to tell him that the officers wanted to speak to him again.

A Health Sciences Authority report stated that Johanizam had 88mg of ethanol per 100ml of blood in his system.

Gu was fined S$600 earlier this month after being convicted of affray or fighting in a public place. Faiz has been charged over the incident and intends to plead guilty next month.

Those convicted of possessing an offensive weapon under the Penal Code can be jailed for up to two years or fined, or punished with both.

Those who commit affray can be jailed for up to a year or fined up to S$5,000, or both.