But moments later, the choice resulted in a heated argument with another patron, who shoved the 72-year-old Koh to the ground.

The elderly man's head hit the floor, leaving him with an ultimately fatal head injury.

Yesterday, the other patron, Teo Soon Seng, was jailed three months and 13 days after admitting to a charge of causing hurt.

The 46-year-old security supervisor had initially been accused of murder but saw the charge reduced when he appeared in court yesterday.

The prosecution did not explain the reasoning for the decision, which capped a case that began on July 11.

According to court documents, Mr Koh, who used to work as an excavator operator, went to the Bamboo Lounge in Sims Avenue that evening and proceeded to down eight large bottles of Tiger beer.

He was a regular customer and at about midnight, he requested a Mandarin song.

When one of the lounge singers, known as Sha Sha, belted out the tune, Teo joined in and held her with both hands.

This prompted Mr Koh to climb onto the stage and confront Teo. Although the younger man apologised and shook Mr Koh's hand, there was a further exchange of words.

Teo then pushed Mr Koh in the chest, causing him to fall and hit the back of his head on the tiled floor.

Lounge staff members came to his aid and called for an ambulance. Mr Koh, however, lapsed into unconsciousness and died three days later in hospital.

An autopsy revealed he had serious head injuries, including bleeding in the brain.

Teo's lawyer Subhas Anandan asked for a lenient sentence yesterday.

'Mr Teo is very remorseful about what happened and seeks forgiveness from Mr Koh's family,' he said.

Teo, faced with the prospect of hanging if convicted of murder, also suffered through three months of agony, said Mr Anandan.

Teo was released yesterday because he had been in police custody since July 17 this year.

The maximum punishment for causing hurt is a $5,000 fine and a jail term of two years.

khush@sph.com.sg