Singapore – A man was beaten and stabbed nine times after triggering a fellow passenger with an indecent proposal while on a public bus.
The New Paper reported on Dec 14 that Indra Hafiq Azman, 20, was on his way home on Aug 20, taking bus service 166, when a certain Agno Abdel Jheric Allan Unaid, 29, a Filipino, got on the same bus along MacRitchie Reservoir.
The two men sat beside one another, and according to the report, Mr Indra got annoyed at Mr Agno’s stares. The latter then typed a suggestive message on his phone and showed it to Mr Indra, triggering his anger.
When Mr Indra was exiting the bus along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, he gestured for Mr Agno to follow. Once out of the bus, Mr Indra proceeded to beat up Mr Agno. The enraged individual punched the man several times on the face and kicked him when he collapsed.
Mr Agno tried evading the blows while apologising repeatedly, noted tnp.sg. It was only after passersby shouted at him did Mr Indra stop and began walking away.
However, as Mr Agno tried to get back on his feet, the assailant picked up a sharp object on the street and made his way back to his target.
Mr Indra began punching and stabbing Mr Agno multiple times with the object before discarding it. The report mentioned that two witnesses had followed the young man and took videos of him leaving the scene. They were allegedly challenged to a fight by Mr Indra after which they stopped the pursuit and returned to assist Mr Agno.
The man was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for medical attention. He underwent surgery while warded at the hospital for four days.
Mr Agno had nine stab wounds in the stomach and chest area, each one about a centimetre long.
A trauma doctor highlighted in the diagnosis that the wounds were near the heart and other vital organs, implicating an intent to cause grievous hurt or to kill. The doctor added that Mr Agno could suffer from long-term complications after the ordeal.
Mr Indra was arrested within 24 hours. District Judge Seah Chi-Ling also took into consideration charges for not wearing a mask during the incident and for failing to report for a urine test, reported tnp.sg. He was also arrested two weeks prior to the incident for consuming a new psychoactive substance.
Despite objections from the prosecution, the judge called for reformative training and probation suitability reports. Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong pointed out there was an escalation to the nature of Mr Indra’s attack. “Deterrence and retribution militate heavily against a solely rehabilitative sentence.”
Mr Indra pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt by a dangerous weapon, causing hurt, and drug consumption on Thursday (Dec 10), according to the report. He is currently in remand and is scheduled to return to court on Dec 31.
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