10 months' jail for man who assaulted elder brother with hammer
A heated scuffle between two brothers resulted in the younger sibling assaulting the elder one with a hammer, causing the latter multiple bruises and leaving him with a permanent injury.
For voluntarily causing hurt through dangerous means, Koh Teck Koon, now 35, was sentenced to 10 months’ jail on Monday (10 April).
The court heard that Koh Teck Koon, a sales coordinator, had gotten into a fight with his elder brother, 38-year-old Koh Teck Soon on 8 October 2013, after Koh Teck Koon found that Koh Teck Soon had been harassing their mother for money to feed his gambling habit.
The brothers had argued over the phone earlier that day before the younger Koh went to confront his brother at a Koufu coffee shop at Block 439A Fernvale Road.
When Koh Teck Soon saw Koh Teck Koon approaching him with a hammer, the former picked up a beer bottle. A scuffle ensued, during which Koh Teck Koon hit his brother on his head, back and leg with the hammer, causing bruises and a 6cm laceration on the victim’s right calf.
Koh Tech Koon left the scene with the hammer soon after the altercation. However, that was not the end of the fight.
Undeterred by his injuries, the elder Koh followed his brother to his home at Block 109 Serangoon North Avenue 1 where a second dispute occurred. A neighbour who heard the commotion called the police for assistance.
The laceration to Koh Teck Soon’s right calf has caused nerve damage which will likely result in permanent numbness on the outer border of his foot, the court heard.
Separate criminal intimidation charge
Koh Teck Koon was also convicted and sentenced on a second charge of criminal intimidation, for which he received a two-month jail sentence – to run concurrently with his first sentence.
The court heard that Koh had pursued a debt collector with a kitchen knife on 3 May 2014. The victim, debt collector Ng Zhong Jun, had gone to Koh’s house to collect debts. Both men were discussing the matter at Koh’s HDB void deck when Koh took out a long-bladed knife from his sling bag.
Alarmed, Ng ran away while Koh pursued and shouted at him from behind. Ng later lost sight of Koh and called the police.
In mitigation, defence counsel Kertar Singh said that the scuffles between the two brothers were “emotionally charged” and that the elder Koh had since forgiven his younger brother. Koh Teck Koon had also penned a two-page letter to the court, pleading for leniency on behalf of his brother, said Singh.
Singh added that his client was “genuinely remorseful” and noted that he had no related antecedents to his convictions.
For voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons or means, Koh could have been jailed for up to seven years and/or fined and/or caned. For criminal intimidation, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined or both.
