Jail, cane for odd job worker involved in slashing attack

Following a dispute over a rental car, 38-year-old John Kelvin Lee and 31-year-old Mohamad Afiq Mohamed Noor, slashed, bit and kicked Mr Ho Hee Yang, 26.

The attack took place after midnight on Dec 4 of last year in an HDB estate in Fernvale Road in Sengkang, reports The Straits Times.

Lee was later sentenced to three strokes of the cane and 30 months and three weeks in jail.

He pleaded guilty to three charges: causing grievous hurt, an unrelated second count of assault and theft.

Three other charges were taken into consideration in his sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Si En told the court that Afiq rented a Honda Stream for a month in November last year from Mr Ho, who owns a vehicle rental company.

He agreed to pay $490 a week but later in the month owed Mr Ho $210.

He was given a deadline to pay by 7pm on Dec 3 last year or the car would be taken away.

On Dec 4. when Afiq failed to pay, Mr Ho, using a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker he installed in the car, traced it to a spot near Block 416B in Fernvale Road.

At that point, it was around 12.45am.

Meanwhile, Afiq called Lee two hours after the deadline to ask for support should there be a dispute.

The two men waited near the car with Afiq's guarantor Siti Zubaydah Mohd Hamzah and the child.

Court papers did not give any more details of the child or the guarantor.

After Mr Ho collected the amount owed from the guarantor, Lee confronted Mr Ho and kept punching him.

Afiq, who had a chopper with him, slashed Mr Ho repeatedly and Lee snatched a gold chain from his neck.

Mr Ho pleaded with the duo to stop, DPP Tan said, adding: "The accused and Afiq kicked Ho's head around six to seven times before leaving."

The injured Mr Ho later called out to some police officers in the vicinity and was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. His injuries included a fracture in his right hand and multiple lacerations.

In a separate incident on June 30 of last year, Lee had punched a 58-year-old cabby in South Bridge Road as he got angry as the cabby sounded his horn when Lee was jaywalking.