Man who slashed housemate for refusing to drink jailed for 10 months

Singapore – A Chinese national was slashed on the arm when he refused his housemate’s offer to drink some more liquor.

In a report in The New Paper, Zhao Dong, 41, was having dinner with his housemates in their flat located in western Singapore. He had been drinking alcoholic beverages like beer and declined to drink any more when his housemates offered him some white wine.

However, one of his housemates, Li Yubao, 31, insisted that Mr Zhao take the offer to drink some more, which eventually led to a full-blown fight.

Li grabbed a kitchen knife and slashed Mr Zhao’s left arm, leaving a gaping wound that cut one of his muscles. The wound was so deep that it exposed the tendons underneath. He then used the knife to shield himself during the scuffle.

The victim was sent to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and had to undergo surgery. He stayed 12 days in the hospital under leave.

Mr Zhao, a driver, and Li, a machine operator, lived in their flat together with several others for about a month before the incident.

Initially, Mr Zhao was reluctant to file a police report because he did not want to cause trouble with Li’s career in Singapore. However, when Li was not able to cover the medical expenses of Mr Zhao, the latter contacted the police, and Li was arrested.

On May 22 (Wednesday), Li was sentenced to ten months in jail for the incident that occurred on January 29.

For voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon, Li could have been sentenced to up to seven years in jail, fined, caned, or a combination of the punishments.