Pub worker gets jail, cane for attacking customer with wine opener
A pub worker was jailed for a year and ordered to receive three strokes of the cane on Wednesday (July 5) after using a wine opener to repeatedly hit the face of a customer who tried to chat up his manager's girlfriend.
This was not the first time Jerriek Chen Weixiong, now 31, was sent to jail for committing a violent crime.
The court heard that in 2003, he was sentenced to 14 years' jail with the maximum 24 strokes of the cane for assault and three counts each of robbery and robbery with hurt. He had 38 other similar charges taken into consideration.
Chen, who pleaded guilty on Wednesday to causing hurt with a weapon, committed his latest offence not long after his release outside Peace Centre at Sophia Road at about 3.30am on May 7, last year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kong Kuek Foo said the victim, Mr Tay Boon Kheng, 41, had earlier gone to Chen's then-workplace at Club Oceanz at the nearby Parklane shopping mall for some drinks.
He was intoxicated when he tried to chat up the pub manager's girlfriend. Mr Tay pushed the manager's chest when he confronted him.
When Chen saw this, he got angry and followed Mr Tay out of the pub at around 3.20am with the wine opener in his hand.
Two of his fellow pub workers, Chua Thiam Boon, 21 and Ho Jian Fu, 22, followed closely behind.
DPP Kong said: "At around 3.25am, the victim was outside Peace Centre when the accused rushed towards him from behind and started punching the victim at least four times on the face and head."
As Chen was throwing punches at the victim, he held the sharp part of the wine opener between his fingers to hit the victim, causing Mr Tay "to suffer pain, lacerations and bleeding", DPP Kong added.
Ho and Chua also joined in and they punched Mr Tay's face, head and upper body.
The trio fled the scene when their bleeding victim fell to the ground.
The police were notified and officers later arrested them.
Mr Tay, who suffered multiple cuts on his face, was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital that morning. He received stitches and was discharged the next day.
DPP Kong said Chua and Ho have already been dealt with in court.
For committing assault with a weapon, Chen could have been jailed up to seven years and fined or caned.
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