A 72-year-old man just received a four-year jail sentence after he stabbed and cut his flatmate to death — it was a violent end to a petty dispute about the washing of a cup.
It was in June 2016 that Tan Kim Hock attacked Fan Fook Heng, 62, in their one-room rental flat at Bendemeer, TODAY reported. By that point, the relationship between the two flatmates had soured severely since they started living together in 2012.
That night, Tan had been washing his cup at the kitchen sink which, for some reason, disturbed Fan. The latter confronted Tan, grabbing the cup and slamming it down on the sink.
Tan ignored his flatmate and continued washing the cup. Fan then punched his face, causing Tan to bleed from the lip.
Angered by the attack, Tan grabbed a 17cm-long kitchen knife and used it to thrust, cut, and stab Fan repeatedly, according to the court report by TODAY. It was only after his victim collapsed to the ground that Tan stopped and sought help from a neighbor. He then called the police and turned himself in.
As for Fan, he was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries two days later, even after an emergency operation. An autopsy report revealed that he died from blood loss from multiple wounds, including cuts on his scalp, shoulders, and arms.
“Although the deceased may have been the initial aggressor, the retaliation was entirely disproportionate,” said the prosecution, as quoted by TODAY. A jail sentence of at least four-and-a-half-years was requested for the “violent over-reaction,” they argued.
The judge sentenced Tan to four years in prison instead, acknowledging the “significant degree” of provocation. The man could have have been jailed for up to 10 years and/or fined — but no caning will be imposed due to his old age.
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