Two women charged with assaulting neighbour
By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 15 August 2011 1331 hrs
SINGAPORE: Two women have been charged with assaulting their neighbour who died in hospital after an alleged fight with them.
Ong Siok Bee, 36, and her adopted sister, Tan Phui Moi, 44, are both unemployed. The women are accused of using an incense burner to hit Mr Seow Hung Lye, 52, near their homes at Paya Lebar Crescent at around 4.30pm on Saturday.
It had been reported that a quarrel allegedly broke out between the trio when he was burning incense and joss paper.
Mr Seow was performing the seventh lunar month ritual outside his home when the women, who live diagonally opposite him, allegedly shouted at him.
This allegedly escalated into a scuffle and it is believed the women threw things like flower pots at Mr Seow and his wife, Mdm Lim Swee Kheng, who was nearby.
Mr Seow, who reportedly had a history of heart problems, was allegedly hit and suffered a cut near one of his eyes. He apparently suffered chest pains soon afterwards and collapsed before being taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he died about an hour later.
His wife suffered injuries to her leg, arms and back.
In court on Monday, Ong denied that they had caused the fight and instead claimed that they had tried to stop it. She also told District Judge Lim Tse Hwa that they were not holding any weapons that day.
Tan, who appeared in court with a bandaged head, agreed and said that she recognised that they were each facing a "serious charge".
The judge gave them more time to prepare their case and ordered them to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for a psychiatric evaluation. The women will be back in court on August 29.
If convicted of causing hurt, they can be jailed up to seven years and fined.
-CNA/ac
