• Cheng Hui Sang saw red when his former girlfriend brought another man home
• They were still living together when she did that
• Cheng slashed the other man with a chopper and also injured her sister when she tried to separate them
• A judge rejected his lawyer’s request for probation

SINGAPORE — Jealous that his former girlfriend had brought her new boyfriend home, Cheng Hui Sang retrieved a chopper and slashed him with it in her bedroom.

He also left a deep cut on the arm of his former girlfriend's older sister when she tried to intervene.

For his actions, Cheng, who used to work as a chef, was jailed a year on Friday (March 5).

The 39-year-old Singapore permanent resident pleaded guilty to one count each of causing grievous hurt to Ms Wong Siew Moy, 40, and causing hurt to Mr Liew Voon Choon, 36, with a dangerous weapon.

A third charge of criminally intimidating Mr Liew was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that Cheng shared a room with Ms Wong Choy Foong, 36, in their Ang Mo Kio unit when they were still in a romantic relationship.

After they broke up in November 2018, she began sharing another room in the same unit with her sister. All four are Malaysians.

WHAT HAPPENED

On Aug 28 last year, Ms Wong Choy Foong woke up at around 5am to retrieve Mr Liew’s slippers from the living room. He and the two sisters had slept in the same room overnight.

She quickly returned to her room when Cheng opened his own room door and saw her.

He grew angry as he suspected that she had brought a man home. He got a can of beer and drank it, then took Mr Liew’s slippers and threw them in the washing machine.

After drinking another can of beer, he retrieved a chopper with a 22cm-long blade from underneath the kitchen sink and placed it on the living room sofa.

About 15 minutes later, Ms Wong Choy Foong left her room and Cheng asked her why she had brought a guy home.

They began arguing and she returned to her room and tried to close the door, but Cheng followed her in with the chopper and pushed her away when she tried to stop him.

He began shouting at Mr Liew and started slashing him, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Bjorn Tan said.

Court documents showed that Cheng told Mr Liew in Cantonese: “Snatch my girlfriend, chop you to death.”

The two men scuffled as Mr Liew tried to block Cheng’s attack. The room was dark at the time.

The fight woke Ms Wong Siew Moy up and she tried to separate them, but Cheng slashed her on her left arm in the process.

His ex-girlfriend eventually managed to restrain him.

Cheng told them to leave and they complied.

Mr Liew and Ms Wong Siew Moy later went to Sengkang General Hospital.

He had sustained small superficial cuts on his palms, scratches on his arm and lacerations on his scalp, while she suffered a deep 6cm-long wound on her arm.

She was given 42 days of hospitalisation leave.

Cheng has made restitution of about S$2,400 in total for their medical bills.

ATTACKS WERE ‘SUSTAINED AND RELENTLESS’

District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz rejected Cheng’s lawyer Lee Wei Fan’s request for a probation suitability report to be called, saying there were no exceptional circumstances to warrant probation.

“Deterrence remains the controlling principle for sentencing given the gravity of violent crimes committed,” the judge said.

“His actions were a conscious and intentional response to feelings of jealousy, hurt and anger when he realised Ms Wong brought home another man… The attacks were sustained and relentless.”

The judge also said it was “purely fortuitous” that Mr Liew did not sustain more serious injuries.

While Cheng was suffering from adjustment disorder at the time of his offences, the judge said that it did not “completely displace his culpability for the offence”.

For causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon, Cheng could have been jailed up to 15 years and caned.

For causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, he could have been jailed up to seven years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.