Fine for woman, 71, who threw warm water on neighbour, hit him with broomstick

SINGAPORE – The tensions in a dispute between two neighbours in Marine Parade boiled over when an elderly woman splashed water on her next-door neighbour, causing him to have superficial burns.

She also swore at the man and hit him with a broomstick, in a separate incident.

On Jan 22, Yeo Kaw Guek, 71, was sentenced to a fine of $3,000 after she pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to her neighbour, Mr Goh Tok Liang, whose age was not stated.

Two other charges of using criminal force and contravening the Protection from Harassment Act were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Yeo and Mr Goh have been neighbours in the same Housing Board block in Marine Parade for about 40 years, court documents state.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ashley Chin said the pair’s relationship turned from strained to sour in 2021, with both of them engaging in acts which provoked and antagonised the other.

On Dec 10, 2022, Mr Goh was walking back to his unit at about 9pm when he noticed that Yeo had thrown joss sticks outside his front door.

He knocked on Yeo’s door to confront her, and the two got into an argument.

Yeo then took a bowl filled with about 100ml of warm water from her kitchen and splashed it on Mr Goh, causing him to have superficial burns on his cheek, neck and upper chest.

In response, Mr Goh grabbed a shovel outside his unit and used it to gesture at Yeo. He subsequently called the police.

This was not the first time he had alerted the police about Yeo’s conduct.

In a separate incident in July 2022, Mr Goh was sweeping the corridor outside his unit when Yeo left her house. An argument broke out between the two.

Yeo swore at Mr Goh, took the broomstick he was holding, and used it to hit him on his back.

Mr Goh responded by pointing his middle finger at Yeo and scolding her, using vulgarities. He made a police report the same day. A harassment charge was brought against Yeo in relation to this incident.

Yeo also once poured an antiseptic liquid, Dettol, on Mr Goh’s legs from her window in January 2022. This amounted to another charge of using criminal force on him, according to court documents.

DPP Chin asked for Yeo to be fined $5,000 in total, to deter her from committing further offences against Mr Goh in the future.

For each offence of voluntarily causing hurt, Yeo could have been jailed for up to three years, or fined a maximum of $5,000.

The two neighbours are currently embroiled in a separate court harassment case that will be heard at a tribunal on Jan 26, in which Yeo is the claimant.