A Chinese man in Singapore has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for slashing his housemate with a knife after he refused to drink wine with him.
Housemates Li Yubao, 31, and Zhao Dong, 41, were having dinner when they got into an argument, AsiaOne reports.
Li, then a machine operator, has taken out a bottle of white wine and was trying to convince Zhao, a Chinese driver, to drink some when things got out oh hand. Zhao, who thought he had consumed enough liquor for the night, declined Li’s offer. The men eventually got into a scuffle after Li kept insisting for Zhao to drink more.
Li reportedly grabbed a knife from the kitchen and aimed for Zhao’s face. Zhao shielded himself with his left arm and was slashed. Zhao was immediately brought by another housemate to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital while Li stayed behind the apartment.
According to the medical report, the cut was so deep that it left tendons underneath his arms exposed and a section of Zhao’s muscles were 50% torn. He had to undergo surgery and was given 12 days’ hospitalization leave.
The slashing incident, which happened at around 10 p.m. on January 29, resulted in Li being sentenced to a 10-month jail term on Wednesday. Court documents revealed that the two men had been sharing an apartment with several others in western Singapore for about a month.
Zhao reportedly did not immediately report the incident to authorities because he didn’t want to jeopardize Li’s career in Singapore. He only decided to call the police after Li was unable to cover his medical fees the next day. Li was arrested a day after the incident but the knife he used to slash Zhao was not recovered.
In Singapore, voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon can result in jail time up to seven years, fined, caned, or any given combination of those punishments.
