Man gets 15 months and 2 weeks' jail for pouring hot oil on ex-wife, punching friend over S$10 loan

SINGAPORE — During a heated argument with his wife, a man took a saucepan of hot oil and splashed it on her right arm and back, leaving her with second-degree burns among other injuries.

The day before this incident, Simon Chiang Cheng Suan grabbed his wife Koh Eng Keng by her hair when she returned home.

Worried by his actions over the two days, she ran out of the house and called the police.

The couple have since filed for divorce.

On Wednesday (Nov 23), Chiang, 54, was sentenced to 15 months’ jail for pouring oil on Ms Koh, 53, and another two weeks for punching a friend over a S$10 loan.

He was also sentenced to a week's jail for pulling Ms Koh's hair, which was to run concurrently.

Chiang had pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means, voluntarily causing hurt and intentionally causing alarm.

Another two charges for breaching a personal protection order were taken into consideration during sentencing.

WHAT HAPPENED

On May 16 last year, sometime before 10am, Chiang was drinking when he got into an argument with his wife in the kitchen. 

As they fought, Ms Koh noticed that there was a knife lying on the kitchen table against her, so she threw it inside her room, afraid that Chiang would use it against her.

Chiang then grabbed a saucepan of heated oil and threw it towards Ms Koh.  

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Koh Yi Wen told the court that Chiang left the house shortly after Ms Koh slipped due to the oil on the kitchen floor.

The incident left her with second-degree burns on her right arm and upper back — covering about 2 to 3 per cent of her body — and a wrist fracture. She was given 45 days of hospitalisation leave.

Just a day before, Ms Koh had called the police after Chiang grabbed her hair when she stepped into their home slightly past midnight. 

DPP Koh added that separately on May 13 last year, Chiang got into a scuffle with his friend Ong Peng Sze over a S$10 loan. 

Mr Ong visited Chiang’s home to talk about the loan and they started arguing. Chiang then pushed Mr Ong in the back and punched him several times in the torso.

DPP Koh sought 14 to 18 months' jail for Chiang's charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means and two weeks for voluntarily causing hurt, pointing out that Ms Koh required hospitalisation leave and that Chiang had used hot oil to burn her.

Chiang’s lawyer Grismond Tien of Infinitus Law Corporation sought a lighter sentence, noting that Koh has a major depressive disorder. However, DPP Koh countered that Chiang’s mental health was not the cause of his actions.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means, Chiang could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.

He could also have been jailed for up to three years or fined up to S$5,000, or both, for voluntarily causing hurt.

Anyone convicted of intentionally causing alarm can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$5,000, or both.