Corpun file 17560

Straits Times, Singapore, 6 April 2006

Jail, cane for blinding chef in left eye

By Elena Chong

A MAN who punched an assistant chef in the face, blinding him in his left eye, was yesterday sentenced to two years' jail and seven strokes of the cane.

Salesman Toh Seng Tian, 42, admitted to grievously hurting Mr Ong Tun Chao, 38, by punching him at Asakusa Japanese restaurant in Bukit Timah Road on Oct 18 last year.

Mr Ong was an assistant chef at the restaurant where Toh and his friends went for food and drinks.

At about 4.15am, Mr Ong - who was off-duty and drunk - wanted to have a toast with Toh and his friends. When they turned him down, Mr Ong abused them verbally. He then took a glass of sake and gulped it down.

As he was putting the glass on the table, Toh suddenly punched him around his left eye. Toh then snatched a bottle but before he could do anything, Mr Ong's friends stopped him.

Mr Ong had a deep cut above his left eye and was treated at Singapore General Hospital.

His left eye was also badly damaged and subsequently removed and an implant inserted.

Toh's lawyer, Mr Lim Swee Tee, said Mr Ong was drunk and boisterous. The lawyer said one of his client's friends had even told the chef to tell Mr Ong to stop creating trouble.

Toh, who also had too much to drink, punched the victim but had not expected the injury to be so serious, said his lawyer.

Mr Ong, who is represented by Mr Chen Chuen Tat, is mulling over whether to file a civil claim against Toh, who could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Corpun file 17605

Straits Times, Singapore, 19 April 2006

32 years' jail for man who raped 5 daughters

Judge also orders maximum 24 strokes for 'sickening' rapist

By Selina Lum and K.C. Vijayan

(extract)

SHORTLY after a 'sickening' sexual predator was jailed 32 years for raping his five teenage daughters, two of his wives walked up to him in the dock and took turns to kiss his outstretched hand.

The 45-year-old rapist, who subverted parts of the Quran to justify raping his children, was also ordered yesterday to be caned the maximum 24 strokes.

Handing down the sentence, Justice Tay Yong Kwang castigated the man - whose multiple wives bore him scores of children - for the 'systematic and sickening' rapes he carried out on his flesh and blood.

The judge also assured the rapist's eldest daughter that she had done the right thing by reporting her father to the police.

The man cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughters. Two are in a girls' home while three have been placed under statutory supervision in the custody of their mothers.

Yesterday, the man appeared relaxed when he was led into the dock but grew solemn when Justice Tay delivered his judgment.

However, he broke into a smile when he was allowed to speak to two of his wives after he was sentenced. The women, dressed in headscarves, were not in the court when sentence was passed. They entered soon after, approached their husband and kissed the hand he proffered through a slot in the dock's glass screen.

The court heard last week how, over an 18-month period, the man had repeatedly preyed on his daughters when they were between 12 and 15 years old, with help from some of his wives.

While conducting a religious lesson, he convinced his wives that he had ownership over his children, which included having sex with them. The wives became his messengers. When he wanted sex, they would tell the girls to keep their 'appointment' with their father in his bedroom.

Two later became pregnant and had to undergo abortions.

The incest continued until June last year, when the eldest girl, now 16, went to the police. The father was arrested the next day.

The prosecution brought 43 charges against the man, but noted that the incidents were so numerous that the girls were 'hard-pressed to keep count, much less remember the exact specifics'.

A sixth daughter, aged 12, was the victim in two of the attempted aggravated rape charges and one outrage of modesty charge.

Justice Tay said the man's violation of his daughters was a 'sad and shameful abuse' of his family's trust and respect in him.

The judge stressed that the girls had nothing to be ashamed of or feel bad about - the wrongdoing was on the part of their father.

'I also hope that the accused's wives and other children appreciate what the six girls in this case have gone through and give them the love and support that they so richly deserve.'

[...]

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Corpun file 17623

Straits Times, Singapore, 25 April 2006

Hawker gets jail, caning for assaulting cabby

A HAWKER has been sentenced to 20 months' jail and six strokes of the cane for kicking and punching a taxi driver.

Alvin Koh Beng Huat, 45, admitted causing grievous hurt to Malaysian cabby Mr Goh Ping Yok, 45, with two of his friends on Nov 18, last year.

The court heard that he went to Queen Street bus terminal at about 11.50pm that day, intending to take a taxi home. He saw a Comfort taxi behind a bus but the driver was not around.

When taxi driver Mr Sim Chye Huat, 68, came back, Koh told him he wanted to take the taxi to Woodlands but was refused.

In his anger, Koh kicked the right rear passenger door of the taxi. He tried to hit Mr Sim and threw a packet of fried noodles at his taxi.

Mr Sim ran and spoke to Mr Goh and several others nearby. Koh saw the taxi driver speaking to Mr Goh.

About 10 minutes later, two of Koh's friends arrived and the trio rushed towards Mr Goh. They punched and kicked him repeatedly on his face.

Koh, who has two other charges taken into consideration, has previous drug-related convictions.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Corpun file 17622

Straits Times, Singapore, 28 April 2006

Preventive detention for repeat sex offender

By Selina Lum

A SEX offender who went back to his old ways barely a year after he was released from prison was yesterday sentenced to 12 years' preventive detention.

12 YEARS DETENTION: Norrahhi will also get 24 strokes of the cane.

Mohamad Norrahhi Noman, 30, who admitted he sexually abused four boys aged between 13 and 15, was also ordered to be caned the maximum 24 strokes.

The general worker had befriended the teenagers by handing out fliers promising them a free mobile phone if they joined his soccer team.

He then lured them to various monsoon drains in the western part of Singapore and made them perform sexual acts with him.

Norrahhi's criminal career began more than 10 years ago when he was jailed for nine months for mischief and theft in December 1995.

In July 1998, he was jailed one year for theft.

While serving his sentence, he was convicted of sexual offences against four 15-year-old boys in 1997.

Norrahhi, who had tricked them with false promises of jobs with his bogus company, was jailed for six years and caned four strokes.

He was released from prison in February 2004 but went back to preying on young boys in December that year.

The prosecution asked for Norrahhi to be given the maximum 20 years' preventive detention, pointing out that his criminal activities had escalated since 1995.

In the present case, he used bandages and cable ties to restrain the boys and threatened one of them with a pair of scissors. He also forced them to hand over money, mobile phones and digital cameras.

Repeat offenders can be sentenced to preventive detention of between seven and 20 years, with no chance of an early release.