Container truck driver Lim Boon Cheow, 57, was unhappy that his wife was "hanging out" with a male colleague living nearby and decided to knock some sense into the other man - with a sledge hammer. He ended up fracturing the wrist of Mr Quek Then Choon and causing $7,800 worth of damage to his car.
On Friday, Lim pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt to the 53-year-old insurance agent and was jailed for nine months. The charge of committing mischief by damaging the car was taken into consideration by District Judge Salina Ishak when passing sentence.
Reading out the facts of the case, Deputy Public Prosecutor Rachel Ng said that on Oct 4, 2012, Lim drank 18 bottles of beer with a friend at a coffee shop earlier that evening.
He was at home in Jurong West when his wife returned and they argued. She denied cheating on him and he stormed out of the house.
He got the sledge hammer from his truck and went to confront Mr Quek. As the insurance agent was walking home at 11.30pm, Lim pounced and swung the hammer at him. Mr Quek warded off the blow and fractured his left wrist.
The intoxicated Lim fell to the ground and the victim ran off. Lim then smashed the front and rear windscreens and two passenger door windows as well as a headlight and the brake lights of Mr Quek's car.
By then, Mr Quek had called the police. They arrived soon after and arrested Lim and seized the sledge hammer which weighed 3.42kg and was 65cm long.
Defence counsel Vijay Kumar argued that the fracture could not be very serious as Mr Quek had declined treatment and was only prescribed painkillers and awarded three days of medical leave. The lawyer also told the court that he had requested for the X-rays of the injured wrist but was informed that these were not available.
For causing grievous hurt with the sledge hammer, Lim could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.
