Elderly Man Jailed 4.5 Months for Coffee Shop Rampage That Left Two Injured

By
Loh Huey Xin
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A man who started a commotion at a coffee shop has been sentenced to four months and two weeks in jail.

His actions led to a 78-year-old man suffering rib fractures.

Just one day after being discharged from the hospital, the defendant returned to the same coffee shop to cause more trouble, breaking a beer bottle that cut another person’s toe, possibly causing permanent partial numbness.

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Huang Yabo (name transliterated from Mandarin), 66, was charged with six offences at the State Courts on Tuesday (15 Apr 2025), including public nuisance and intentionally causing grievous hurt.

He pleaded guilty to three charges, and the judge considered the remaining three for sentencing.

Here’s what happened.

First Incident: Verbal Abuse Leads to Physical Altercation

Court documents showed that on the morning of 9 Dec 2023, the defendant went to a coffee shop at Block 304 on Serangoon Ave 2 to buy food.

As soon as he entered, he began loudly hurling vulgarities in Hokkien at other customers.

At that time, a 78-year-old victim was sitting at a table with two others. The defendant approached them and continued shouting loudly.

The three stood up to ask what was happening, which led to a physical confrontation.

During the scuffle, the defendant pushed the victim forcefully from the front, causing him to fall backwards and hit his chest against a nearby chair.

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The victim felt intense back pain and couldn’t stand up, forcing him to remain seated on the ground.

After police arrived, the defendant was taken to the hospital for head injuries and lower back contusions and was discharged the next day.

The victim initially thought his injuries were minor and chose not to go to the hospital. However, when his back pain worsened the next day, he went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on his own.

Medical examinations revealed a displaced fracture in his right rib. Doctors ordered him to rest until 29 Dec.

Second Incident: Broken Beer Bottle Causes Serious Injury

On the evening of 11 Dec at about 8:00 PM, police received a call about a brawl involving elderly men fighting, with someone using a beer bottle. The location was the same coffee shop.

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Investigations showed that the defendant had gone to the coffee shop to buy dinner when he received a call from a friend.

During the call, he became emotional and began shouting vulgarities in Hokkien.

He was standing near a table of male customers, one of whom asked him not to stand so close. The defendant snapped back, “What are you looking at?” and cursed at him.

The man stood up and noticed the defendant seemingly searching for something in his bag.

Suspecting that the defendant might attack, the man swung first, hitting the defendant in the face, which sparked a fight.

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During the struggle, the defendant grabbed a beer bottle, smashed it on the ground, and forcefully pushed the man down.

When the man got up, he accidentally stepped on broken glass, injuring his toe. The man then grabbed a glass and smashed it against the defendant’s face.

Both men were later taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The man was diagnosed with a cut on the underside of his toe, a severed medial neurovascular bundle, and a severed thumb muscle tendon, requiring two months of rest.

Since the nerve damage cannot be repaired, the man may permanently lose partial sensation in his toe.

The defendant suffered multiple lacerations to his face, one requiring stitches, and was discharged the next day.

The judge sentenced the defendant to four months and two weeks in jail.

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Loh Huey Xin