Man attacked elderly father again months after jail release for same offence
SINGAPORE — A man who was jailed and fined over a drunken assault on his elderly father last year punched the victim again for no apparent reason months after his release.
Yap Bei Xing, 34, was again drunk when he punched his 68-year-old father on his eye repeatedly, causing the latter to bleed, earlier this year.
Considering Yap’s recent criminal conviction, District Judge Seah Chi-Ling sentenced him to five months’ jail on Thursday (6 August), noting how the injuries were inflicted on a vulnerable part of the victim’s body.
Yap pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to his father on 25 March at around midnight. His relationship to the victim may make him liable to twice the maximum penalty for his offence.
On the night before, Yap began drinking alcohol at the flat from 7pm. He consumed six cans of beer before leaving the flat to continue his session with a friend.
Yap was a heavy drinker then, and would consume alcohol about two to three times a week.
After he returned to the flat at about midnight, he began shouting at his father, who was in the living room. There was no reason behind his rage. An altercation occurred between father and son, with the younger Yap then punching his father on the left eye thrice.
The elder Yap’s eye bled from the incident. Yap’s mother then called Yap’s sister for help. The sister was unable to reason with her brother due to his intoxicated state.
Fearing for the safety of her family, Yap’s sister called the police and Yap was arrested.
The elderly Yap was conveyed to the hospital where he was found with lacerations over his left eyebrow and bruises with oozing from his eye.
Last year, Yahoo News Singapore reported that on 4 September 2019, Yap was drinking in his flat at about 1am when his father returned home.
When his victim laid on the sofa to sleep, Yap began complaining about his childhood to him and became progressively more upset. In response, his father asked to be left alone as he wanted to sleep.
Enraged, Yap punched the victim’s face then picked up a coffee table and threw it at the senior Yap. He then grabbed both of the father’s earlobes with his hands and pushed his face into the window grilles.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Rashvinpal Kaur Dhaliwal sought at least five months’ jail for Yap, while Yap’s lawyer Diana Ngiam sought two months.
Ngiam said the senior Yap had forgiven his son and did not want to pursue the case. Yap has also sought help for his alcohol use at the National Addictions Management Service.
For voluntarily causing hurt to his father, Yap could have been jailed up to six years.
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