SINGAPORE - A 20-year-old stabbed his older brother at home over a glass of milk, a district court heard.

On Wednesday (May 18), Soh Wei Lin, who has a history of obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizoaffective disorder, was ordered to undergo two years of mandatory psychiatric treatment in lieu of jail time.

The court heard that Soh came home at about 6pm on Feb 5 last year and asked his 55-year-old mother to bring him a glass of milk in his room.

However, she left it on the table in the living room at about 6.30pm and asked Soh's 22-year-old brother to pass it to him.

But the brother was engrossed in reading a book on the sofa.

Unhappy with his brother, the younger Soh took a 32cm-long knife and stabbed him in the abdomen at about 7pm. Their mother called for an ambulance.

The victim had a 2cm stab wound next to his navel, with bleeding from branches of two arteries. There were no bowel or organ injuries.

He underwent surgery and was discharged from hospital two days later.

Soh was arrested about two hours after the stabbing.

The maximum punishment for hurting someone is two years' jail and a $5,000 fine.