A local man lured his friend to the Choa Chu Kang cemetery and beat him because his wife claimed that she was raped by his friend. After being beaten, resulting in a chunk of flesh being torn off his head, he was made to crawl back to the car.
Defendant Andre Chen Si’En, 32, was today (Aug 25) sentenced to eight years in prison and nine strokes of the cane for ‘unrestrained cruelty’.
The defendant admitted that he used a dangerous weapon at the cemetery to intentionally cause serious injury, and also admitted to intentionally wounding a person in the Ming Arcade along Cuscaden Road; drug consumption, and flouting Covid-19 regulations.
Co-conspirator Gervan Wong Jun Heng, 27, who assisted the accused in his horrific revenge plan, was sentenced to seven years and seven months in prison, plus six strokes of the cane. He was also fined $2,400 and had his driver’s license revoked for two years.
Defendant’s co-conspirator stopped just because he was tired
The case of the cruel injury took place on May 10, 2020. The defendant received a message from his wife and her friend the day before that his 29-year-old friend Douglas Wong Wei Hao, the victim in the case, had allegedly raped Chen’s wife on the night of May 8.
The defendant’s co-conspirator, who did not know the victim, agreed to accompany the defendant to “solve” the matter, rented a Mercedes, and provided knuckledusters, switch knives and iron bars as weapons.
Before the crime, the defendant invited the victim for a drink. But the real intention is to take him to a remote place to question him, and if he admitted to abusing his friend’s wife, they would attack him.
After the three arrived at the Choa Chu Kang cemetery at around 3 am, the defendant began to question the victim, but the victim did not answer seriously. The defendant was so angry that he hit the victim on the back of the head with a knuckleduster, causing a chunk of flesh to tear off from his head.
As the victim tried to flee, the accused attacked him with knuckledusters and stabbed him in both legs with a knife. The co-conspirator also used an iron rod in taking turns attacking the victim with the accused.
The accused also smashed the victim’s mobile phone at a tombstone at the scene.
The defendant and co-conspirator finally stopped because they were tired. The victim begged them to give him water, and the accused’s co-conspirator took a bottle from the car and sprayed the water on the victim’s face.
Defendant leaves a trail of blood when he returns home
The accused and co-conspirator then also ordered the victim to climb into the car himself, before taking him back downstairs to his home at around 5.30 am. When the victim returned home, he left a trail of blood.
His mother called an ambulance after discovering his tragic condition.
The medical report stated that the victim had multiple stab wounds to the lower extremities, broken hands and feet, bruises and lacerations to the head, and a subdural haematoma.
He also suffered from a post-traumatic stress disorder and was treated at the Institute of Mental Health.
The defendant and co-conspirator were arrested at around 3.30 pm on the same day, police recovered knuckledusters and iron bars, and the switchblade which had been discarded was also recovered.
The prosecution pointed out that the accused had a history of violence and had also been sentenced to be caned. They further argued the two attacked the victim for a long time, and although the victim did not fight back, they continued to attack him fiercely after knocking him to the ground.
Alleged rape has not been proven
The defence lawyer pleaded that the defendant was provoked by his wife’s call of alleged rape, and the defendant had known the victim for three and a half to four years.
He also said that the location of the incident was remote and that if the defendant wanted, he could have done worse, adding that the defendant was remorseful and helped the victim to clean the wounds.
In this regard, the prosecution retorted, that spraying water on the victim’s face to say that it was to help him clean the wound is a bit silly, which is obviously to humiliate the victim.
The prosecution also pointed out that although the accused’s wife claimed to have been raped, she did not ask her husband to harm the victim.
The judge pointed out that the allegations of rape by the defendant’s wife were serious, but so far unproven.
The judge also said the defendants and co-conspirators who lured victims to remote locations with dangerous weapons had shown their intent to inflict brutal harm, but vigilantism was not allowed.
The maximum penalty for using a dangerous weapon with intent to cause serious injury is life imprisonment or imprisonment for up to 15 years, plus a fine or caning.
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