A mala stall cook at a Whampoa coffee shop grabbed a kitchen knife and threatened to kill his manager, before punching him several times and pouring fish soup on him.
47-year-old Chinese national Zhao Chuanfei pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt and two charges of criminal intimidation.
He was sentenced to nine months’ jail on Thursday (25 May).
According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at around 3.50pm in a coffee shop at Block 87 Whampoa Drive on 3 Mar this year.
Upon arriving at the stall, the manager, 36-year-old Jia Yan, noticed that the kitchen was messy and asked Zhao to tidy up the plates and ingredients.
Zhao replied that he had his own way of working and did not see a problem.
Mr Jia then told him that different workplaces have different work standards and that Zhao could leave if he didn’t want to cooperate.
This angered Zhao, who then raised a 28.5cm kitchen knife at Mr Jia while walking towards him threateningly.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Although he put down the knife twice, Zhao proceeded to rain punches on Mr Jia’s head, face, and body.
Zhao also hit the manager’s left arm with the blunt side of the knife and poured a tray of warm fish soup on him.
During the altercation, Zhao also yelled, “If you continue to push me, I will kill you!” at Mr Jia.
The manager managed to escape and called the police, after which he was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment.
He suffered bruises on both his shoulders as well as a chipped front tooth.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
Due to his injuries, he was given five days of sick leave.
Zhao, who was unrepresented in court, stated that he came to Singapore to work and raise funds for his retirement.
He did not mind working at the stall for S$40 a day.
However, the mala stall he was working at wasn’t doing so well at the time. The manager allegedly also treated him badly and tried to force him to quit.
Zhao believes the manager was looking to get a S$400 referral fee for introducing a new employee to the job.
He stated through an interpreter that he has a 70-year-old mother with cancer and is currently recovering.
Zhao also mentioned that he came from a single-parent family and is a single parent himself.
As his daughter is getting married soon and his son is turning 31, he hoped the judge would give him a lighter sentence and allow him to reunite with his family.
In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Mr Jia pointed out that he had not intended to hire the defendant originally.
Zhao had a hot temper, he said, and he did not want to hire him after a trial period.
“He made some small mistakes and continued to make them after being corrected,” Mr Jia said. “He even found me annoying and did not listen to my instructions.”
Mr Jia said the other party had worked just three days and he was not going to hire him, but Zhao called and pleaded with him, saying he had been abandoned by his wife.
“He said he wanted to stay in the country and work hard, so I had a change of heart.”
But Zhao did not change his ways, and Mr Jia regretted hiring him.
The manager also said he would reflect on how to better communicate with employees and hire manpower more carefully in future.
“My ribs hurt for more than a month, and it hurt to roll over in bed.”
Even though he has repaired his broken tooth, he still cannot consume solid foods.
Mr Jia also said he did not receive compensation or an explanation. This makes him feel like he had been beaten up for nothing.
Additionally, he revealed that the other party had threatened to take revenge when he came out of prison, which leaves Mr Jia worried and unable to forgive him.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
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