Receiving a wrong food order can be extremely frustrating, especially after you have paid for it. While some of us may resort to a complaint, a 38-year-old man decided to take his anger out on a hawker in Balestier by throwing hot porridge on her.
The 66-year-old stall owner reportedly suffered 1st and 2nd-degree burns and was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) for treatment.
For his offence, the court sentenced the man to 12 weeks in prison.
TODAY Online reported that on 1 Feb 2020, 38-year-old Charles Law Chang Teck had ordered a bowl of porridge from a stall at Whampoa Makan Place in Balestier for his son.
Upon finding an uncooked egg inside, Law became upset. Stall owner Mdm Chew then allegedly told him that he should have requested it when he was ordering.
Law first retaliated by saying that Mdm Chew should not work if she was not happy about it. She subsequently told him that she was the stall owner and not the worker, noted TODAY Online.
The situation escalated when Law untied the takeaway plastic bag, removed the lid of the container of hot porridge and threw it at Mdm Chew.
It came into contact with her right upper limb, upper chest, and her face, causing 1st and 2nd-degree burns.
According to TODAY Online, the altercation was witnessed by patrons of other hawker stalls, and one of them told Law to leave if he was unhappy.
When Law left, the witness told Mdm Chew to call the police after seeing that half of her face was red and scalded.
He reportedly stayed by her side until paramedics arrived to assist her and many other witnesses also tried to help.
Another stall owner apparently told the witness that Law was the son of another vendor at the hawker centre.
Mdm Chew was later sent to TTSH for treatment after they diagnosed 1st-degree burns on her forehead and right upper limb and 2nd-degree burns on her cheek and upper chest.
She was initially placed on a 7-day medical leave but it was later extended by 2 weeks.
In May, a doctor determined that she did not sustain significant scarring and her skin texture remained normal.
The Straits Times (ST) reported that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Huang initially sought at least 5 months’ jail for Law, citing that his actions were premeditated because he had the consciousness to untie the plastic bag and remove the lid of the container.
Furthermore, what he did could have caused public alarm since it was committed during peak hours.
In his sentencing, DPP Huang also took into consideration Law’s history of intermittent explosive disorder (IED). Symptoms of IED include sudden outbursts of rage and aggression, usually disproportionate to the situation.
The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) determined that his IED contributed to his actions.
TODAY Online additionally reported that in mitigation, Law’s lawyer said he was the sole breadwinner of his family with 2 young children. He had also allegedly apologised to the victim and tried to give her first aid the day it happened.
The victim has sued Law for $2,200 after obtaining judgment from the courts for her medical expenses.
For voluntarily causing hurt using a heated substance, Law could have faced a fine, caning, up to 7 years’ jail, or any combination of the three.
No matter how upsetting a situation is, resorting to violence is never the answer.
It would not only be effective in resolving any issues but may even create new ones.
Hopefully, Law will learn his lesson from this incident and refrain from committing such an aggressive act again.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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