Hawker at Serangoon North Slashed Man’s Face with Chopper Due to Jealousy

As scary, knife-wielding gangs are on the decline, the next thing we have to watch out for are the angry hawkers, especially ones who chop off middle fingers.

And oh boy are they scarier than ah bengs ever will be.

Not only can they dictate whether you’re going to go home with a satisfied stomach or terrible cramps. they can easily slash you with their chopper too.

Hawker Attacked Man With A Chopper For Having “Affair” With His Wife

70-year-old Toh Cheng Hoon was jailed for five months on Friday (28 May) for slashing 58-year-old Lee Kim Seng at a coffee shop at 151 Serangoon North Avenue 2.

He had pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

The incident happened on 4 November 2020, when Mr Lee arrived at the coffee shop at around 5:30pm to have dinner with his family.

As luck would have it, he went to the washroom while waiting for them to arrive and encountered Toh, who he had been trying to avoid.

According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Colin Ng, the two had a physical altercation back in 2017, though details were not specified.

Toh then confronted Mr Lee and began pushing at his chest while shouting profanities at him. Mr Lee had told him to “cease his unruly behaviour”.

This is where shit hits the fan.

Toh went to this stall to retrieve his chopper with a 20cm blade and charged towards Mr Lee, who picked up a tray to attempt to shield himself. However, he was unable to avoid the attack fully, leaving him with a 5cm-long wound on his face.

The two began to fight. Other patrons saw the commotion and successfully broke up the fight, disarming Toh as well.

Toh told investigators that he was upset with Mr Lee because he suspected the younger man of having an affair with his wife. On the other hand, Mr Lee claimed that he does not even know her name and that they only had a casual conversation with each other at the coffee shop a few months before the attack.

Diagnosed With Delusional Disorder

Toh was examined at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and was found to have a delusional disorder, categorised as the jealous type.

Prosecutor Ng noted that the disorder manifested itself as delusions about his wife’s infidelity. He sought six months’ jail for Toh’s dangerous actions.

Toh’s defence lawyer, Mr Tan Jeh Yaw, sought a jail term of no more than three months for his client. He highlighted that Toh not only cooperated with the authorities at the earliest opportunity but was both mentally and physically ill.

In addition, Toh has ceased working at the coffee shop and had “zero likelihood” of ever meeting Mr Lee again. The hawker was also obviously unaware of his disorder.

Anyone found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt to another with a dangerous weapon is liable to be punished with a jail term of up to seven years, or fined, or caned, or a combination of these three punishments. Toh cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50.

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