Man jailed for stabbing son over $8,000

A father has been jailed for four weeks after he stabbed his son with a knife in a dispute over money used to pay unlicensed moneylenders.

The conflict arose when Ow Foo Wah, 53, learnt that Mr Paul Ow Wai Hou, 25, had withdrawn about $8,000 from his bank account without authorisation last July.

It was later learnt that the money was used to settle debts with unlicensed moneylenders.

Ow, a shipping agent, pleaded guilty to assault yesterday.

The court heard that he confronted his son in their Jurong West flat on Sept 8 last year and asked him when he would repay the amount. A scuffle broke out when the son refused to answer.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Asoka Markandu told the court: "The accused then reached for a knife which was underneath a table to try and stab the victim.

"When the victim pushed the accused away, they again got into another scuffle and in the course of the altercation, the accused stabbed the victim once in his abdomen."

Ow stepped away when he spotted blood on his son's hand, the court heard. Ow's 26-year-old daughter attended to her brother's injuries and called the police.

The victim was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he was treated for a 1cm stab wound on the right side of his abdomen and scratch marks on his arms. He was discharged two days later.

The prosecutor told District Judge Tan Jen Tse: "The accused admitted that he had used a knife during his dispute with the victim.

"The dispute arose because the accused was upset with the victim for borrowing from unlicensed moneylenders and for using his card without his authorisation."

Ow could have been jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000 for assault.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 30, 2019, with the headline Man jailed for stabbing son over $8,000. Subscribe