SINGAPORE — Enraged after he was punched in the face and had his food spat on at a Geylang coffee shop, a victim-turned-aggressor killed his provoker with a knife he bought from a nearby supermarket.

Former toilet cleaner Yaacob Mohamed Yatim, 58, pleaded guilty on Thursday (April 19) to stabbing 48-year-old Abdul Rashid Mohd Nenggal at SSBB Enterprise, located at 3D Guillemard Road, on May 3, 2015.

Despite it being his second murder charge, Yaacob managed to escape the gallows, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In 1999, he caused the death of his brother-in-law in a domestic dispute. However, as he was found to be of unsound mind due to epilepsy, he was detained at the President’s pleasure, and spent seven years at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) instead.

Narrating Yaacob’s “tragic personal life” to bolster his case that a death sentence is not warranted, defence lawyer Anand Nalachandran said that Yaacob’s wife never visited him while he was detained at IMH, nor maintained contact with his family.

Instead, she usurped all his money and property, including his Central Provident Fund savings and flat.

Then, she died in 2008 before divorce proceedings could be completed. Their only child — a daughter named Zulikah —  also died of leukaemia at seven.

In sentencing Yaacob, Justice Chan Seng Onn said it was “another unfortunate case”, where the deceased, Rashid, started the provocation. But that did not justify Yaacob’s “totally disproportionate actions”, he said.

Rashid was a friend Yaacob had made at a coffee shop in Geylang Lorong 8. Seeing that Rashid was unemployed, having just been released from prison, Yaacob had helped him secure a job at his workplace.

But their friendship soon soured, after Yaacob misplaced Rashid’s daily salary of about S$45 once.

According to Mr Nalachandran, Rashid hit Yaacob on the head with his hand over the matter. Yaacob repaid the money on the same day, and decided to end the acquaintance with Rashid by quitting his job. He also stop patronising the coffee shop they originally met, and started going to another coffeeshop at Geylang Lorong 6.

On the night of the murder, Yaacob, who was meeting a friend at the Lorong 6 coffee shop at about 8pm, bumped into Rashid.

While Yaacob and his friend were eating, Rashid walked over to their table and started an argument, and exchanged vulgarities.

Rashid then suddenly punched Yaacob forcefully in the face, causing him to lose his balance and fall on the floor.

Yaacob then got up and shouted at Rashid in Malay, words to the effect of “wait for me to finish my food, then we can talk”.

The situation defused when a third party intervened. He then returned to his table.

Yaacob, who remained at his table and continued eating throughout the fracas, harboured angry thoughts. He told his friend that he would do something to Rashid.

After finishing his food, Yaacob tried to take a pair of scissors from an ayam penyet stall in the coffee shop, but he was stopped by the stall’s workers.

He then went to the nearby Sheng Siong supermarket, and purchased a kitchen knife with a 13cm blade, which he kept in his rear pocket.

Returning to his table at the coffee shop, he called his mother, a widow, to seek her forgiveness — he lives with her and is her primary caregiver.

Soon after, at about 9pm, when Rashid approached him again to settle their earlier dispute, Yaacob replied that there was nothing to talk about. Then he took out his knife and stabbed Rashid’s back in one swift action.

Rashid retreated while still facing Yaacob, who chased after him.

At the slip road in front of the coffee shop, leading from Sims Ave to Guillemard Road, Rashid tripped and fell backwards, landing head-first onto the road in a supine position.

Yaacob then kicked Rashid in the face once, before turning and walking away.

When paramedics arrived, they could not find a pulse on Rashid, who was found with a 4 to 5cm laceration at his left upper back. He was later pronounced dead at Tan Tock Seng Hospital at 10.12pm.

Yaacob was arrested the next day at about 2.42pm.

Subsequent examinations at IMH showed that Yaacob was not suffering from a psychotic illness, and was clearly conscious of his actions.

On Thursday, Yaacob told Justice Chan: “I did (commit the act of murder), and I know that my actions were wrong.”