He had been denied entry to a Thai disco club after a dispute with the club’s manager. In revenge, he went after the manager’s friend with a chopper, leaving the victim with seven deep cuts and facial fractures.
40-year-old Matthew Tan was jailed for 42 months yesterday after pleading guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt.
According to The Straits Times, Tan had visited Club Diva in Golden Mile Complex at around 11pm on Feb 18 last year and caused a ruckus outside the club after he was turned away. He then left in a huff but continued loitering near the club for almost two hours.
The next day, he confronted Mr Yong Yoong Shin, who was present when Tan argued with the club manager, when they bumped into each other at the basement of Golden Mile Complex. When Mr Yong ignored him, Tan whipped out a 27cm-long chopper from the back of his trousers and charged at the younger man, hacking at his face and torso. Mr Yong required two sessions of surgeries for the severe injuries sustained to his face and back.
Tan’s lawyer, Mr S.S. Dhillion, said in the mitigation plea that Tan, who was a first-time offender, was “deeply remorseful”. Assistant Public Prosecutor Puvaneswari Sandirasekaran had urged for a harsher sentence, stressing that the brutal attack on the unarmed victim was unprovoked. For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Tan could have been jailed for up to 15 years, fined and caned.
Photo: .v1ctor Casale via Flickr
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