A 72-year-old man has been sentenced to one year in jail after he attacked his neighbour with a knife. The neighbour died about two hours later, but not because of the injuries. It was due to heart disease.
The incident happened on 22 December 2024, at Block 805 King George’s Avenue in Lavender.
The attacker, Lim Tee Tee, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt with a weapon. The victim, Chua Kin Tong, was 69 years old. Both men lived on the same floor.
What happened that day?
Around 11.20am, Lim was returning home after buying food. As he stepped out of the lift on the eighth floor, he bumped into Mr Chua, who was trying to enter the lift at the same time. Both men were annoyed, but nothing happened then.
Shortly after, Mr Chua called another neighbour, a 66-year-old man, to go with him to confront Lim at his flat.
An argument broke out. During the confrontation, Mr Chua hit Lim with a wooden stick. Lim then ran into his kitchen, grabbed a 37cm-long knife, and charged out. A struggle followed in the corridor, and Lim slashed Mr Chua multiple times, hitting his head, neck, face, arms, and legs.
The second neighbour tried to stop the fight and ended up injured on his arm.
Victim collapsed in the lift lobby
After the attack, Mr Chua made his way to the lift lobby. Around 11.30am, police officers patrolling the ground floor saw him exit the lift with serious head injuries. He managed to say, “Lim attacked me with a knife,” before collapsing on the spot.
Mr Chua was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 1.20pm.
Meanwhile, officers followed a trail of blood back to Lim’s flat, where they found Lim and the second neighbour. Both were given medical help and taken to the hospital. Lim was arrested the same day.
Cause of death not due to knife wounds
Although Mr Chua suffered deep cuts, some so deep they reached his cartilage, the autopsy showed he died from ischaemic heart disease, not the slashes. The fight likely triggered his existing heart condition.
The second neighbour’s injury and another charge against Lim were taken into account during sentencing.
Lim himself had several injuries, including cuts, scrapes, and a fractured hand. A psychiatric report found he had persistent depressive disorder, but he was still mentally sound and knew that using a knife was wrong.
Jail term and prosecutor’s comments
The prosecution asked for 14 to 17 months’ jail, pointing out that while Lim did not start the fight, his response was extreme. They also said that even if Mr Chua had survived, he would probably have needed surgery.
In the end, Lim was sentenced to 12 months’ jail. The law allows for up to 7 years’ jail, a fine, caning, or all three for voluntarily causing hurt.
