6 months’ jail for man who punched acquaintance unconscious after staring incident
Reuters file photo
SINGAPORE — A man who rained blows on a drunk man after a coffeeshop staring incident was sentenced to six months’ jail on Friday (Feb 23) for voluntarily causing hurt.
Mustafa Ya’acob, 62, was about to get his dinner at the coffeeshop in Block 26 New Upper Changi Road on December 14, 2016 at 10pm when he thought the victim, 48-year-old Alizah Haron was staring at him. Mr Alizah’s colleagues had left him to drink beer on his own after dinner.
Unhappy with what he had perceived, Mustafa told Mr Alizah – an acquaintance he met previously in the vicinity – to follow him to the back lane to talk it out.
At the back alley, Mr Alizah apologised, saying he was drunk. But Mustafa punched him on his face multiple times with both his fists until he fell to the ground.
Mustafa then walked off, as Mr Alizah lost consciousness. He was later woken up by someone who splashed water on him. The good Samaritan, who is unnamed in court documents, also brought him home.
It was Mustafa’s wife who lodged a police report and brought Mr Alizah to Changi General Hospital thereafter.
According to a medical report dated December 29, 2016, Mr Alizah sustained a fractured nasal bone, a black eye, laceration on the right chin, and bruises on the lower inner lip as well as chest.
Mustafa could have been jailed up to two years and/or fined up to S$5,000 for the charge.
On Friday, he was separately slapped with a fine of close to S$8,000 as he faced ten other charges of possessing, storing and dealing with contraband cigarettes on four occasions between August 7, 2016 and October 3 last year. He will serve another 14 days’ jail in default of the fine.
