Jobless man hurts neighbour with kukri and a knife
Published on Apr 26, 2013
By Khushwant Singh
A jobless man used the broad side of the Gurkha knife called a kukri to hit his neighbour's face. Aw Goh Bah, 52, then pulled out another knife and thrust it forward several times.His victim, Mr Koh Kok Mah, 61, tried to fend him off and suffered cuts on a finger and elbow in the incident that happened at 9.30am on July 15 last year.
In a district court on Friday (apr26), Aw pleaded guilty to hurting the retiree with the two knives and was sentenced to six weeks in jail. District Judge Jasbendar Kaur told him that "there was no place for knives in our society" when disputes arise.
The court heard that both men used to sell items at the Sungei Road flea market and had argued over the location of their stalls. They also lived in the same block of flats in Jalan Berseh in Jalan Besar.
That morning, Aw was cycling with his children when he saw Mr Kok. A quarrel broke out and Aw told the older man to wait for him at the void deck. He took his sons to the flat and returned with the two knives. After the incident, Mr Kok called the police and Aw was arrested. The victim sought treatment at the Singapore General Hospital for a swollen jaw and small cuts to his finger and elbow.
