SINGAPORE - A teenager armed himself with a chopper and made his way to Bukit Panjang to confront a 13-year-old boy whom he suspected of stealing cash cards.
At around 3am on July 4, Sheikh Sayfiq Belkhir Omar, 17, repeatedly slashed the younger boy with the weapon, causing wounds to his right hand and leg that needed stitches.
When police arrived at the scene, Sayfiq also threatened to slash an officer's head with a parang.
On Friday (Dec 22), he was sentenced to reformative training after pleading guilty in October to committing assault with a weapon and criminally intimidating a policewoman.
He now has to spend between 18 months and three years in a reformative training centre, following a strict regimen that includes foot drills and counselling.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Derek Ee told the court that somebody told Sayfiq to teach the 13-year-old boy a lesson as he had supposedly stolen cash cards in Boon Lay. The boy cannot be named due to his age.
Sayfiq was at a friend's home at around 11pm on July 3 when he found out that the boy was in Bukit Panjang.
The court heard that he then armed himself with the chopper, left the flat with his friend and spotted the boy near Pending LRT station about four hours later.
Sayfiq ran towards the boy and kicked him before slashing the latter's right hand, leg and ankle.
The 13-year-old boy managed to flee, and Sayfiq got rid of the weapon when he spotted police cars in the vicinity.
Sayfiq later noticed that his friend was with the police and decided to confront the officers.
DPP Ee said: "He continued shouting and acted aggressively towards the police officers. He informed them that he was the one who had slashed someone earlier."
A policeman arrested Sayfiq, who continued behaving in a violent manner, hurling vulgarities at the officers and even challenging them to a fight.
He also threatened the policewoman at the scene, telling her that he would use a parang to slash her head.
For assaulting the boy with a weapon, Sayfiq could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned. Those convicted of criminal intimidation can be jailed for up to two years and fined.
