A 26-year-old man in Singapore, Muhammad Fida’iy Mohamad Fauzi, has been sent to jail and will also receive caning after a very harsh attack on his 58-year-old father-in-law. This happened on June 21 last year, at Loyang Point, and left the older man with injuries.
Fida’iy had set up a meeting with his father-in-law at the McDonald’s outlet in Loyang Point Mall at 9 PM that night. He wanted to talk about a letter that his neighbour had received.
This letter, which wasn’t fully described in court papers, supposedly contained some personal information about Fida’iy. He suspected his father-in-law was behind it and confronted him about it. Even when the older man denied sending the letter, Fida’iy became angry during their talk. Seeing this, his father-in-law decided it was best to leave.
But Fida’iy didn’t let it go. He followed his father-in-law to Pasir Ris Street 21. There, while the older man was on his phone, Fida’iy suddenly kicked him, causing him to fall to the ground. Fida’iy repeatedly punched his father-in-law in the face. After the assault, Fida’iy simply went back to Loyang Point, washed the blood off his hands, and then returned home.
He suffered several broken bones in his face, a big change in the shape of his nose, and a deep cut on his upper lip. Even now, he continues to suffer from blurry vision and has lost his sense of smell in one nostril.
The injuries were so severe that he would need to live with a titanium implant in his eye socket forever. The doctor who treated him described his injuries as “life-changing,” showing just how much impact this attack had on the older man’s life.
In court, Fida’iy admitted that he was guilty of causing serious harm. The judge decided he must serve 18 months in prison and receive six strokes of the cane. Fida’iy was also told to pay his father-in-law S$8,241.19. This money is meant to cover the older man’s medical bills and the income he lost because of his injuries.
During the court proceedings, Fida’iy’s lawyer, Mr. Danny Erwin Nah Wei Jin, told the court that Fida’iy only turned violent because he had reached his “breaking point.”
The lawyer also said that the relationship between Fida’iy and his father-in-law was not like a normal, friendly one, with Fida’iy claiming he had been mistreated by the older man.
However, the lawyer did not give specific details about what kind of mistreatment this was or how long it had been happening. The prosecution argued that no matter how difficult their relationship might have been, Fida’iy’s brutal attack could not be excused.
