Jail for man who attacked father, used threatening words against mother, who gave him place to stay

SINGAPORE – Following attacks on his father and a Vietnamese woman, George Lim Zi Chun was placed in remand for more than a month.

He was released on bail on Jan 19 and asked his mother if he could live with her and her boyfriend.

But while living with the couple, Lim used threatening words against them and smashed their television screen.

For his offences, Lim, 30, was sentenced to six months and sixteen weeks’ jail on Monday.

He pleaded guilty to seven charges – two for voluntarily causing hurt, one for causing mischief and four for using threatening words intending to cause alarm or distress.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Jing Min said that some time past midnight on Feb 10, 2021, Lim searched for companions to drink with via a Telegram chat group and chose to meet a 22-year-old Vietnamese woman. He paid $300 to a middleman for her company.

The Vietnamese woman arrived at the Arton Hotel in Tyrwhitt Road at about 3am and went to the room where Lim was. She was offered alcohol by Lim, who had been drinking, but she declined.

Said DPP Tan: “The accused perceived that the victim was aloof and disinterested and became enraged. The accused slapped the victim on the face.”

As the Vietnamese woman tried to leave, Lim pulled her hair and punched her. He also put his hands around her neck and tore one of the straps of her dress.

The front office executive at the hotel who was alerted to the commotion called the police.

When Lim heard that the police had been called, he said that he was going out for a smoke and fled the hotel.

He turned himself in to the police the next day, and was subsequently released on bail.

The Vietnamese woman suffered multiple injuries, including a haematoma on her scalp, and was given four days of medical leave.

On Oct 12, 2021, after a night of drinking with his friends, Lim went to his father’s hardware shop in Kranji at about 9am. Lim was working at the shop at that time.

A dispute sparked off between Lim and his 61-year-old father.

Said DPP Tan: “The accused became incensed and used both hands to push the victim at his shoulders, causing the victim to fall down.”

Lim then punched his father on his face several times, causing the older man to suffer hurt.

Lim’s father, who suffered more attempted attacks, ended up with bruises on his face and throat. He obtained a personal protection order against Lim on Oct 25, 2021.

But that did not stop him from visiting his father’s hardware shop on Oct 29, 2022, and Nov 8, 2022, and shouting threatening words at him. The police were called on both occasions.

Lim was remanded from Nov 30, 2022, to Jan 19, 2023, and began living with his mother and her boyfriend after.

On April 21, Lim became angry after his mother sent him a message reminding him to keep the toilet clean.

When the couple returned home, they saw that Lim was wearing rings and were scared as they thought they might be a weapon. They left the house and drove to a neighbourhood police centre to request help.

Lim’s mother and her boyfriend decided to move out of their home for their safety, but Lim continued to express his anger by sending them threatening WhatsApp messages.

Even after Lim’s mother was given an expedited personal protection order against Lim on April 24, he continued harassing her via a phone call and messages.

Lim smashed the television screen in their home sometime between April 21 and May 5, before the couple returned home. He did not make any restitution for the damage.

In court on Monday, Lim’s lawyer, Mr Anil Singh Sandhu, said that his client regrets how he treated his parents and his mother’s boyfriend, who were all present in court.