4 months’ jail for man, 49, who brandished sheathed knife at Hougang coffee shop patrons

SINGAPORE — Claiming that he had a “spiritual connection” with a knife that he found in a bicycle bay, and believing it gave him “spiritual blessings”, a man began carrying it around in public.

One evening, the man, Chew Wee Tiong, 49, brandished the knife while it was in its sheath at patrons at a Hougang coffee shop where he had gone to buy dinner.

When police later confronted Chew at his home, he refused to let them in, took off all his clothes, stood on a window ledge outside his flat and later tried to kill himself.

On Tuesday (April 16), Chew, 49, was sentenced to four months’ jail after pleading guilty to two charges – of being found armed with an instrument for cutting without any lawful authority or purpose, and of appearing nude in a public place.

Another two charges – of being found armed with an instrument for cutting without any lawful authority or purpose – were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Chew, who suffers from schizophrenia, had his jail sentence backdated to the date of his arrest on Jan 21.

WHAT HAPPENED

Sometime before Jan 20 this year, Chew found the knife in question along with three other knives as he was collecting rubbish.

He began carrying the knife with the red-coloured handle around in public, as he felt strong and comfortable with it in his possession.

At about 8pm on Jan 20 this year, Chew headed to a coffee shop at Block 623 Hougang Avenue 8 to buy dinner. He was holding the sheathed knife in his hand.

He brandished the knife at passing patrons at the coffee shop, stopping momentarily when he was placing his order at a food stall.

After collecting his food, he continued brandishing the sheathed knife before returning home.

An alarmed coffee shop patron called the police at about 8.05pm.

Using police camera footage, the police were able to trace Chew to his home, arriving there at about 8.41pm that night.

The police officers first spoke to Chew’s mother and asked her to open the gate to the unit, but Chew stopped her.

Speaking to the officers through the gate and window of the unit, Chew explained how he came to possess the knives.

He handed the four knives he found to an officer through the gate of the unit.

Asked by the officer to open the gate, Chew refused and instead forcefully closed the unit’s door.

Chew then removed his clothes until he was completely nude, later stating his belief that by doing this he was “removing all the burdens” that he had.

He went to the kitchen, where he retrieved a kitchen chopper and a wok, to protect himself from the officers.

At about 9.18pm, Chew took the chopper and wok and climbed out of the kitchen window. He stood on a window ledge next to a sheltered walkway.

He refused to obey police officers who ordered him to drop the kitchen chopper and return to his unit.

Instead, Chew walked away from the window ledge and climbed onto the roof of the sheltered walkway.

He remained on the sheltered walkway for about an hour, as police officers continued to engage him. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also attended to the incident.

At about 12.22am on Jan 21, Chew saw that some officers had climbed onto the sheltered walkway using a ladder set up by SCDF officers.

He then jumped off the roof of the sheltered walkway to escape the officers.

Chew took the kitchen chopper and tried to kill himself, which caused a laceration on his neck.

He was arrested, and attending paramedics provided medical attention to stop the bleeding from his neck. Chew was taken to Sengkang General Hospital.

He was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric assessment from Jan 22 to Feb 14. He has been in remand since.

Chew later told Dr Lim Kim Wei, a psychiatrist with the IMH, that there were voices telling him to kill himself.

In a report submitted on Feb 7, Dr Lim stated that Chew suffers from schizophrenia, and that his illness had a contributory link to his offending.

‘ACCIDENTALLY’ PICKED UP KNIVES

Speaking in Mandarin on Tuesday, Chew, who was not represented by a lawyer, said that he collects rubbish, and that he had “accidentally picked up the red chopper and ended up like this”.

“I lead a simple life, and I don’t know how I ended up like this,” said Chew.

In response, District Judge Kessler Soh told Chew that regardless of whether he picks it up or takes it out from home, he needs to remember that he cannot carry knives or choppers around.

Nevertheless, the judge acknowledged that Chew was also suffering from a mental condition affecting his conduct, adding that it was important to deal with these underlying mental issues.

This includes consulting a court counsellor to see what can be done to help Chew receive the necessary treatment.

For being armed with the chopper, or an instrument for cutting, without any lawful authority or lawful purpose, Chew could have been jailed for up to two years or fined, or both.

For appearing nude in public on the sheltered walkway, Chew could have been jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$2,000, or both.