3 weeks' jail for elderly man who punched wheelchair-bound relative with cerebral palsy

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
July 27, 2022

An elderly man punched a wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy once on his face during a verbal dispute and the victim momentarily blacked out.

Mr Juraimi Jaafar, 48, suffered a broken nose.

The assailant, Abdul Rahman Mohamed Hanafiah, 72, was on Tuesday (July 26) sentenced to three weeks' jail after he pleaded guilty to an assault charge.

Cerebral palsy is a physical disability that affects movement and posture, according to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, a charity organisation.

Caused by illness or injury to the brain before or during birth, or early in life, the condition is not curable and affects different parts of the body.

The court heard that Mr Juraimi's mother is Abdul Rahman's adoptive sister.

Abdul Rahman used to live with the pair in their flat.

After moving out, he would occasionally return to the flat to check if there were any letters for him.

Abdul Rahman was at the void deck of a block of flats at around 6.30pm on March 3, 2020, when Mr Juraimi, who was in a motorised wheelchair, spotted him.

He yelled at Abdul Rahman and told him to clear his belongings from the flat.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Shiau Yin said: "A verbal dispute ensued. The accused got angry and started walking towards the victim.

"The accused punched the victim once on his face. The victim felt giddy and blacked out momentarily."

Mr Juraimi regained his vision soon after and realised that Abdul Rahman had left.

After discovering that his nose was bleeding, Mr Juraimi asked a passer-by to help him call the police.

He then went to Changi General Hospital for treatment, the court heard.