No one likes to made fun of, especially when it pertains to their body weight or gender as it’s deeply hurtful and offensive.
A 71-year-old condo gardener in Singapore was so angered by the words used by his colleague about his size and gender that he took a garden hoe and assaulted him, which resulted in him getting thrown into jail.
Didn’t get along with each other
According to Today, the two men involved in the incident were Sim Lek Yam and Tan Im Choon, who both worked at the Rafflesia Condominium in Bishan on July 28, 2022.
Based on court documents, the two “shared unpleasant history”. However, it wasn’t disclosed in court what it was in detail.
On the day of the altercation, Tan bumped into Sim outside a toilet at the first floor of the condo and called him “fat” in Hokkien, sparking a verbal argument between them.
Sim also claimed in court on Monday (Dec 4) that Tan called him a “transgender” and mocked him for being afraid to hit him.
SG man attacks colleague who called him fat and a transgender
Amid the argument, Tan yelled at Sim and gestured for Sim to hit him.
Boiling with rage, Sim used the garden hoe he was holding on to and struck Tan twice, who was walking away from him.
Tan took off on his heels and fled but was pursued by Sim, who still had the hoe in his hands.
It wasn’t until a condo management staff stepped in and took the hoe away from Sim did he finally stop.
The assault left Tan with a 10cm-long cut over the back of his head and a 5cm-long cut over his upper back and he was sent to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment.
Police was later notified of the assault by the Singapore Civil Defence Force and nabbed Sim on the same day.
Jailed for 10 weeks
The prosecution requested for an imprisonment of at least two months and two weeks and up to three months, where it was argued that the hoe was a weapon which could inflict great harm and that it left Tan injured.
During mitigation, Sim apologised to the court and said he was “very angry” after he was called a “transgender” and couldn’t control his temper.
He later pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt using a weapon of offence and was jailed for 10 weeks. He was also ordered to pay S$128 (approx. RM446) in compensation to Tan.
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