SINGAPORE — Upset with his sister's ex-husband for removing a fruit from his potted plant, 56-year-old Pong Yoke Long came home after a night of drinking, grabbed a cleaver from the kitchen and slashed the man.  

After pleading guilty on Tuesday (Nov 1) to a single charge of voluntarily causing hurt, Pong was sentenced to 11 weeks’ jail. 

WHAT HAPPENED 

The victim, 49-year-old Lim Boon Kiong, was previously married to Pong’s sister.

After their divorce, which was finalised more than two years before the slashing incident, relations between Pong and Mr Lim soured. 

However, Pong and his sister continued to reside in Mr Lim's home together with his mother. 

Court documents did not state the type of residence where they lived. 

As Pong and Mr Lim both enjoyed gardening, they would place their plants and flower pots at the common corridor outside the house but they would often get into disputes over the placement of the pots. 

On the morning of May 10, Pong noticed that a fruit that had been growing on one of his plants was missing. 

Assuming that Mr Lim had intentionally removed the fruit from his plant, Pong grew upset with him.

Later that same day at around 8.30pm, Pong returned home after having drinks at a coffee shop. 

Upon entering the house, he saw the victim sitting in the living room. 

Still upset with him about the missing fruit, Pong went to the kitchen and took out a cleaver. 

The court heard that the blade length was about 16cm. 

Pong returned to the living room and slashed the victim, causing him to suffer cuts and a skin tear on his left upper limb, as well as a cut on his left thigh. 

At this time, the victim’s mother came out of her bedroom and heard Pong shouting in Hokkien that he had been tolerating the other man for "very long". 

She immediately tried to separate the two men and grabbed hold of Pong, while Mr Lim locked himself in a room and called the police. 

Mr Lim was taken to the hospital and was discharged on the same day. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dhiraj G Chainani sought a sentence of 12 weeks’ jail. 

“While the injuries actually sustained by the victim in this case were minor, this is purely fortuitous, given that the dangerous weapon used by the accused could have potentially caused serious injuries,” he said. 

Addressing the court, Pong said: “I plead for leniency, I’m the sole caregiver for my mother and she is still going in and out of hospital.” 

Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun generally agreed to the proposed sentence and ordered Pong to be jailed for 11 weeks starting Tuesday. 

For intentionally causing hurt to another person, Pong could have been jailed up to three years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.