Just because he was deemed to be a bad worker, a 65-year-old coffee shop worker had his scalp, face, neck and chest chemically burned when a corrosive concoction was poured upon his back.
He spent 38 days in hospital and underwent multiple operations, and now will have to go for regular follow-up sessions at the plastic surgery clinic and the eye clinic. Already partially blinded by the shocking attack, he might even lose his sight completely.
All because 62-year-old Lim Yeow Heng wanted to teach him a lesson for having a “poor work attitude”, Channel NewsAsia reports.
The coffee shop dishwasher has since been sentenced to serve 30 months in jail for causing hurt to the victim in April last year using a corrosive chemical — a mixture of soda powder and water.
Lim had helped the victim get a job as a dish collector at the coffeeshop he was working at in 2014, and soon realised that the friend had a “poor work attitude”. Allegedly, he was even facing pressure from his boss, who was unhappy that Lim recommended someone who wasn’t such a good worker.
Unhappy that he had to work while his friend took a break, Lim chose to utilise an alkaline chemical mixture instead of confronting the victim, who is physically bigger than him. In front of many witnesses at the coffee shop along Crawford Lane, he poured the mixture over his friend’s back.
The victim sustained horrific injuries with chemical burns over 23 percent of his body. His face and eyes were also affected by the chemical.
In court, the District Judge slapped a 30-month jail term — six months more than what the prosecution asked for — as the victim was noted to have suffered immense pain over such a minor dispute.
