Drug abuser stabbed fellow diner who tried to play peacemaker

SINGAPORE – Unhappy that his food was not ready, Imran Othman yelled at an eatery worker and later used a knife to attack two diners after one of them tried to calm him down.

He stabbed Mr Derrick Kwa, 43, in the abdomen and slashed 31-year-old Jason Koh's torso before fleeing the scene.

Police arrested Imran three days later on June 27, and a packet of crystalline substance containing methamphetamine, or Ice, was found in his possession.

His urine sample was later found to contain traces of the drug.

On Friday (Dec 16), Imran, 47, who pleaded guilty to an assault charge and two drug-related offences, was sentenced to three years, five months and two weeks' jail. A second assault charge was considered during sentencing.

Shortly before the attack, Imran went to a Mr Prata outlet at Block 742 Bedok Reservoir Road on June 24. He became angry when his order was not ready at around 10.50pm.

He yelled at one of the employees and punched a glass wall, which remained intact.

When Mr Kwa tried to calm him down, Imran redirected his anger at the younger man and hurled vulgarities at him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Lu Jia said: "Derrick got angry and shouted vulgarities at the accused as well. Jason tried to defuse the situation by separating both parties from each other.

"At this point, the accused's food was ready, and he took the food and walked away from the Mr Prata shop."

As Imran was walking away, he yelled at Mr Kwa, asking him to come over.

Mr Kwa followed him to a nearby staircase area, even though Mr Koh tried to dissuade him from doing so.

When they reached there, Imran stabbed Mr Kwa's abdomen and left arm with a knife. Shocked, the victim pushed his assailant away and fell to the ground.

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The DPP told the court: "Jason tried to hold back the accused, who then raised his hand while holding the knife.

"The accused struggled with Jason and (slashed Jason on) the left side of the abdomen area and left shoulder."

After that, Imran ran away and got rid of the weapon.

The two injured men returned to the eatery to wash their wounds before making their way to Mr Kwa's home.

Mr Kwa, who was still bleeding, decided to stay home and rest. Mr Koh returned to his own home soon after.

Mr Kwa felt dizzy the next day and saw that his wounds were still bleeding. His wife then called for a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulance at around 3.30pm.

The SCDF also routed the call to the police, said the DPP.

Mr Kwa was taken to Changi General Hospital, where he was found with stab wounds. He was warded for five nights and given 20 days of hospitalisation leave.

Meanwhile, Mr Koh went to a clinic to get his wounds treated.

In an earlier statement, police said they managed to establish Imran's identity through investigations and closed-circuit television images. Officers arrested him on June 27.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.