Man jailed 30 months for pouring corrosive substance on friend

SINGAPORE — Unhappy that he had to work while his friend took a break, a 62-year-old dishwasher poured a mixture of soda powder and water over his friend’s back.

Lim Yeow Heng was jailed 30 months on Wednesday (March 2) for causing hurt to the victim by means of a corrosive substance. The 65-year-old victim, who worked at the same coffee shop as a dish collector, sustained chemical burns over 23 per cent of his body including on his scalp, face, neck and chest.

The victim, who spent 38 days in hospital and underwent multiple operations, was discharged with “a poor prognosis”.

Now partially blind, he may lose his sight completely, the prosecution said, citing a medical report. The victim also requires regular follow-ups with the plastic surgery clinic, eye clinic and rehabilitation team.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Shin Hui urged the court to impose a jail term of two years on Lim, citing the severe injuries caused in the unprovoked attack, which occurred in April last year. The DPP also noted that Lim had elected to harm the victim using an alkaline chemical mixture as he did not want to fight the victim, who is physically bigger than him. Lim had also hurt “vital areas” of the victim’s body, such as his face and eyes, DPP Lim said.

Lim’s lawyer Justin Yu said the attack was “an error of judgement” on Lim’s part, and said that Lim just wanted to “teach (the victim) a lesson”, without considering how seriously he would injure his friend. The lawyer added that the extent of the victim’s injuries was still unclear, and urged the court not to take the prosecution’s submissions at face value.

Mr Yu explained that Lim had got the victim a job at the coffeeshop in 2014, and became upset after realising that he had a “poor work attitude”. Lim allegedly faced pressure from his boss, who questioned him as to why he had recommended someone with such an attitude for the job.

The lawyer urged the court to impose a sentence of not more than 10 months of jail, citing Lim’s advanced age, lack of a violent history and health problems, including hypertension and numbness in his body.

In sentencing Lim, District Judge Eddy Tham handed down a 30-month jail term, which is six more months than the prosecution had asked for. The judge said the victim must have “suffered immense pain” over a minor dispute, which resulted in “horrific injuries”. Judge Tham also noted that Lim had committed the offence in front of many witnesses at the coffeeshop at Block 464 Crawford Lane.

Lim could have been jailed up to seven years and/or fined. CHANNEL NEWSASIA