Jail for worker who hit dorm mate with stone pestle for insulting dead mother

SINGAPORE — Unhappy that his colleague had insulted his late mother after he advised the man to be more efficient with the laundry, Moni Lal Chan showed his displeasure by attacking the younger man with a stone pestle that left him bleeding from the forehead.

For his offence, Lal Chan, 34, a Bangladeshi, was jailed for two months on Tuesday (Jan 11) after he pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to Mr Ahmed Rabbi, 25.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Claire Poh told the court that the dispute between the two men, who were both co-workers at a construction company and residents of the same dormitory, arose over an issue about the laundry on Nov 29 last year.

Lal Chan was unhappy that Mr Rabbi had placed only his own clothes into the washing machine when he could have gathered all the dirty clothing from their roommates. 

During their argument, Lal Chan told Mr Rabbi that washing clothes in a bigger load could help to cut down on costs, but Mr Rabbi insulted the older man’s mother in response.

Those words “especially agitated” Lal Chan because his mother had died about six months before, DPP Poh said.

The two men were later separated by a supervisor, but Lal Chan did not forget the incident.

Two days later, on Dec 1, Lal Chan entered the dormitory’s kitchen area close to midnight where Mr Rabbi was washing cashew nuts in preparation for his meal the following day.

Both of them resumed their dispute “pertaining to the victim’s use of the washing machine and the victim’s use of vulgarities on the accused’s mother”, DPP Poh said.

The argument escalated when Lal Chan picked up a stone pestle — a makeshift door stopper that weighed close to 500g — while Mr Rabbi armed himself with a knife. 

Even though there was no “grave and sudden provocation” on Mr Rabbi’s end, DPP Poh said that Lal Chan “intentionally used the stone pestle to hit the victim once on his left forehead”, followed by two strikes to Mr Rabbi’s back

The attack bloodied Mr Rabbi’s forehead and he had to seek help from his roommates. He was eventually taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital for treatment.

Lal Chan was arrested by the police around 1am on Dec 2.

A medical report stated that the attack left Mr Rabbi with a 2cm-long cut on the forehead that required five sutures, and contusions on his left paraspinal muscle. Mr Rabbi was given five days of medical leave for his injuries.

For voluntarily causing hurt to his dormitory mate, Lal Chan could have been punished with up to three years' jail or fined up to S$5,000, or both.