An elderly man was sentenced to 34 weeks of imprisonment on Tuesday, July 31 after he punched on the face of his drinking buddy's 44-year-old acquaintance, who joined them on their table but that unwelcomed aggressive behaviour ended his life.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Jing Feng told the court that the victim Teo Teck Hock was going home from a supermarket with his 12-year-old son and passed a coffee shop at Block 639 Punggol Drive on November 11, 2016, at around 3.45 pm.
After the boy went home, the deceased spotted three acquaintances having a beer at that shop and he decided to join them. The 63-year-old accused, Toh Kai Seng was sitting two tables away from another Teo's acquaintances, Lim Seng Ban but Toh and Teo did not meet before.
On the day of the hearing, the court heard that almost after two hours Teo went to talk to Lim. DPP Feng said that by that time Lim and Toh had downed seven bottles of beer. When the victim approached their table, both of them shouted at him and asked to leave. But, Teo was unhappy about being asked to leave. He continued to grumble loudly and showed some gestures to the accused and Lim.
The court also heard that after this incident Lim became angry and stood up to approach the Teo's table. The situation became violating when Lim and the victim argued and challenged each other to a fight. But, suddenly the convict Toh stepped in and punched on the left side of Teo that knocked him down on the ground and he hit his head on the ground and became motionless.
After witnessing the situation an unnamed man called the police. When the officers arrived they took Teo to the Changi General Hospital for treatment. Even though the hospital authority provided life support system, Teo's condition deteriorated. Later, on November 13, 20016 he was pronounced dead by the doctors.
The autopsy report showed that Teo died due to the extensive head injury. On the day of the hearing, Toh pleaded guilty for assaulting the deceased. The elderly accused could face a jail term, up to two years including a fine of up to $5,000 for assaulting the victim.
