SINGAPORE: The last man in a case where a cook was slashed over roti prata was sentenced to a year's jail on Thursday (Apr 4).
As 59-year-old Balachandran Kothandapani is over the age of 50 and cannot be caned, three of the 12 months' jail he received were in lieu of six strokes of the cane.
AdvertisementBalachandran and his two friends had gone to a stall called Habib's Express at a Clementi coffee shop to ask for free roti prata on Jul 29 last year. They often went to the stall to ask for free food, but the court did not elaborate on the circumstances behind this.
Balachandran, along with fellow jobless man Murugan Joseph, went to the stall at Block 710, Clementi West Street 2, and asked for the free dish.
When the food was ready, the stall assistant refused to give it to them as they had no money to pay for it, the court heard.
Balachandran and Murugan, 45, confronted the stall assistant aggressively for more than 10 minutes, before leaving when it became clear that they were not getting any roti prata.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, they tried again with the third man, odd job worker Farizal Rahmat, turning on the cook who had stepped in to intervene.
Balachandran left the scene, only to return with a 19.5cm-long knife that Murugan had bought a few weeks earlier.
Murugan took the knife and slashed the cook on the side of his head, leaving a laceration. The cook was warded in hospital while the three men, who were intoxicated at the time, were arrested.
Murugan was sentenced to 10 months and two weeks' jail in February, along with six strokes of the cane and a $3,000 fine.
Farizal received a lesser sentence of more than eight months' jail and six strokes of the cane last month.
Balachandran had pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt with common intention and another of possessing an offensive weapon.
His defence lawyer agreed with the prosecution's submitted sentence of a year's jail, but asked the judge not to impose a compensation order to pay the cook for his medical expenses of more than S$2,600.
CASE IS BEYOND BELIEF: JUDGE
District Judge Mathew Joseph, who had also sentenced Murugan, told Balachandran that it was "astonishing" that the "brute assault" came about "all because prata was denied to you and your friends".
"It is almost beyond belief that the three of you would form an intention to slash (the victim) because he refused to serve you prata," said the judge.
"He was entitled to refuse you free prata, because you had no money to pay for it."
He added that he did not understand how Balachandran and Murugan could have been infuriated at the refusal, when they did not have the money for the food.
"This is prata. It's not an expensive food," said the judge.
"I find your conduct totally unconscionable. You are 59 years old. You are not an immature 16-year-old."
He added that Balachandran was the one who went back for the knife, calling his behaviour shocking and outrageous and telling him that he should consider himself "extremely fortunate, because of your age you will be spared caning".
"This must probably be the first case in Singapore where someone is slashed because they did not wish to serve free prata," said the judge.
"Certainly in my court I've not come across (such) a case."
He ordered the knife to be forfeited to the police for disposal, and did not give a compensation order, saying that the sentence was sufficient.
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