For all his military expertise as a regular in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Shawnald Lee Hong Heng sure wasn’t perceptive enough in this violent misunderstanding.
Assuming that his wife was about to be taken advantage of in his own bedroom, the 25-year-old punched Donovan Quek Hon Yong so bad that the latter suffered fractures in his face and chipped teeth. All because Quek helped send Lee’s wife home safely after a night out drinking.
After pleading guilty, the SAF regular has since been sentenced to jail for five weeks for hurting 25-year-old Quek at his Yishun flat on July 10 last year, The Straits Times reports. Poor Quek had to get dental implants to replace his upper teeth for being a caring friend.
What happened was that Quek and Lee’s wife — 23-year-old Wong Kay Yan — had been out drinking with friends till about 1am. Quek helped to send her home in a taxi, and presumably helped her to bed too, taking off her vomit-stained shirt.
As for Lee, he arrived home shortly after them. What didn’t look right was the fact that another man was sitting in his bedroom beside his drowsy-looking wife, who was only clad in her underwear.
As any full-blooded male are wont to do, Lee punched Quek in his face several times, assuming Quek was trying to take advantage of the woman. The assault only stopped when his wife intervened.
Still in rage mode, Lee went downstairs to get his friend, who had been waiting at the void deck for him. They went up to the flat in a bid to get Quek to explain, but Lee lost it again and tried to hit him. Lee’s friend managed to restrain him, while his wife said it was all a misunderstanding.
Presumably swearing never to be a gentleman ever again, Quek left shortly after, taking a taxi to Yishun North Neighbourhood Police Centre to lodge a report before going for medical examination at a hospital.
In court, Lee’s lawyer pleaded to the court to consider probation for the hot-headed misconception. In addition, Lee is taking care of their young daughter as his wife is now in drug rehab.
The prosecution, however, argued that probation was inappropriate and asked for six to 10 weeks in jail.
