WHEN will people begin to realize that fat-shaming is wrong, if not now? This elderly Singaporean, however, suffered a painful consequence for words he could never take back.
A 71-year-old Singaporean condo gardener was jailed after attacking his colleague with a garden hoe due to his intense anger over comments made about his weight and sexual orientation.
Today reports that on Jul 28, 2022, two men who worked at the Rafflesia Condominium in Bishan, Sim Lek Yam and Tan Im Choon, were implicated in the event.
Court records state that the two had a “shared unpleasant history.”
What exactly it was, though, was not revealed in court.
Apparently, Tan called Sim “fat” in Hokkien when they ran into each other outside a condo’s first-floor restroom on the day of the conflict, resulting in a verbal fight between them.
Sim further stated in court on Monday, Dec 4, that Tan made fun of him for being scared to beat him and referred to him as a “transgender.”
Additionally, Tan reportedly yelled at Sim throughout the dispute and threatened to beat him.
Furious, Sim punched Tan again as he was backing away from him with the garden hoe he was gripping.
Tan quickly turned tail and ran away, but Sim, who was still holding the hoe, followed him.
Sim didn’t stop until a condo management staff member intervened and grabbed the hoe away from him.
Tan was then transported to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment after the attack, where he received cuts measuring 10 cm across the back of his head and 5 cm across his upper back.
Sim was reportedly captured by police the same day that the Singapore Civil Defence Force alerted them to the attack.
In addition, the prosecution asked for a minimum two-month sentence, a maximum of two weeks, and a maximum of three months in jail, citing the hoe’s potential for serious injury and Tan’s injuries.
Sim later apologized to the court during mitigation and that he couldn’t control his temper after being branded a “transgender” and that he was “very angry.”
He subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of deliberately causing harm with a weapon of offense and was given a ten-week prison sentence. Further, he was required to pay Tan S$128 (RM446).
