A Malaysian man who had permanent resident (PR) status in Singapore was sentenced to jail after he pleaded guilty to assaulting several churchgoers over a free Bible.
CNA reported that a total of five congregants were assaulted, with one of them suffering a nosebleed as a result.
Had previously taken Bibles for free
Court documents showed that the accused, Wee Soon Ming, had previously visited Singapore Life Church occasionally, usually on weekdays.
At each visit, he would help himself to a Bible, which he would take it home for free.
There was only once where the church pastor stopped Wee from taking many Bibles one shot but permitted him to take one or two, and Wee complied.
Slapping spree
On May 3, Wee headed to Singapore Life Church to get another Bible for free but had his request denied.
Feeling slighted by the rejection, Wee proceeded to take his frustration out on several churchgoers, with court documents revealing how it unfolded on two victims.
The first pair of victims was a 65-year-old Indonesian and her daughter-in-law, who entered the foyer of the church when Wee stormed out of the building.
Wee then slapped the older woman across her face before doing the same on her daughter-in-law on the left side of her head before exiting from the front entrance.
The older woman had a nosebleed following the assault and was sent to a hospital’s emergency department to be treated for head trauma.
A medical examination found that she sustained bruises and swelling around her eye and on her cheek, tenderness around her right cheekbone and nasal bridge, and a chipped tooth.
She was later discharged in a stable condition on the same day with seven days of hospitalisation leave but didn’t express any desire to seek compensation for her medical treatment.
Wee’s rampage didn’t stop there as he also went on to slap a 55-year-old woman at the back of her head and right shoulder as she was entering the church.
She had soreness at the back of her head, but was told there was nothing to be concerned over when she saw a doctor the next day.
Like the Indonesian woman, she also did not wish to seek compensation from Wee.
A 25-year-old man also suffered Wee’s wrath, where he found himself being pushed on his chest and hitting against a metal gate.
Jailed
A member of the public called the police on Wee and he was arrested at his residence after police established his identity.
He was then remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for a forensic psychiatric evaluation, and was found to have a mild intellectual disability at and around the time of the offence.
However, the state prosecuting officer said no contributory link was found between Wee’s mild intellectual disability and offence, adding that Wee was fully aware of the legal and moral wrongfulness of his actions, and wasn’t insane at the time.
The officer also said Wee slapped the assaulted the churchgoers in anger, adding no evidence were found to suggest his actions were religiously motivated.
Wee pleaded guilty to two charges of causing voluntary hurt to the two victims, while another four charges involving the other victims were taken into consideration.
He was ordered to be jailed for five weeks, with the sentence to take effect from the day of his arrest on May 3.
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