Man who took part in knife attack at Bugis hotel while on the run gets jail

Christine Tan
The Straits Times
Apr 11, 2024

The long arm of the law has caught up with a man who took part in a knife attack at Rest Bugis Hotel in March 2023, while he was on the run for prior offences.

On April 11, Mohammad Ghufran Sinarfadhli, 23, was sentenced to three years and 11 months’ jail, after he pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon and three drug-related offences.

Ghufran, who is currently remanded, also admitted to one charge of driving without a valid licence, and was thus disqualified from holding or obtaining driving licences for one year after his release.

The court heard that Ghufran had been charged in court previously and was on court bail from Aug 25, 2022. Court documents did not provide details of his prior offences.

Ghufran failed to appear in court on Jan 18, 2023, and a warrant of arrest was issued against him.

At around midnight on March 27, 2023, a 24-year-old woman named Norliana Hazuliana, was in a room at the Rest Bugis Hotel in Jalan Kubor, near Arab Street, with a group of people when she got into a disagreement with a 20-year-old man.

Norliana was on a video call with Ghufran and another 19-year-old Indonesian youth later in the morning when the 20-year-old man interrupted the conversation and insulted the two males.

The youth cannot be named as he was 17 years old when he allegedly committed earlier offences.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Lu Yi said Norliana then invited the Indonesian youth and Ghufran to the hotel room to “teach (the man) a lesson”.

“Specifically, Norliana told them to come over and to bring knives with them as (the man) was dangerous,” DPP Quek added.

The youth packed a bag containing two serrated knives, each with a 30cm-long blade, and rode a motorcycle to the Kallang area, with Ghufran riding pillion.

On the way, Ghufran took over control of the motorcycle for a short distance despite not having a valid licence.

When the pair reached Rest Bugis Hotel at around 11am, Norliana took them up to the room, where the Indonesian teen slashed a 19-year-old girl twice with his knife before Norliana stopped him.

He and Ghufran then attacked the 20-year-old man, slashing him on his head, shoulder and arms. DPP Quek said the attack lasted for about five minutes, before the duo fled the hotel.

An ambulance later took the male victim to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and he was discharged four days later.

A medical report stated that injuries to his right knee joint and left hand may result in permanent disabilities. The condition of the female victim was not stated in court documents.

The Indonesian teen was arrested at around 4pm on the day of the attack. He pleaded guilty on Nov 30, 2023, and was sentenced to undergo reformative training.

Ghufran was arrested the day after the attack at 11.30am, after having fled from a police officer earlier that morning.

Police found evidence he had been smoking cannabis that day.

The court heard that Ghufran had been placed on supervision for two years from May 2021 and had to undergo regular urine tests. He was handed another charge for failing to report for a urine test on March 21, 2023.

Ten other charges were taken into consideration for Ghufran’s sentencing.

DPP Quek said Norliana will be dealt with separately. Her case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on April 25.