Yishun knife attack: Woman dies after noise dispute between neighbours; man arrested for murder
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A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Koh, 69, said there was a dispute between a couple and a man, who were neighbours.
PHOTO: ST READER
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SINGAPORE – A woman has died following a violent attack over a noise dispute between neighbours in Yishun Central on the morning of Sept 24.
She and her husband were among three people taken to hospital. The couple had serious injuries.
The third person taken to hospital was the alleged attacker, who has been arrested for murder.
A police spokesman said preliminary investigations found the fight arose from a noise dispute.
The alleged assailant, a 66-year-old man, is said to have used a knife to injure the couple.
The woman, a 30-year-old Vietnamese, was taken unconscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), where she died.
Her husband, 33, and the alleged assailant were conscious when taken to KTPH.
A spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for help at Block 323 Yishun Central at about 7.25am on Sept 24.
When The Straits Times arrived at around 8.50am, there were drops of blood on the ground floor, near the lift.
A knife, a watch, a mobile phone, a set of car keys and a slipper lying on the bloodstained floor.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
On the sixth floor, there were bloodstains at the lift lobby, and inside the lifts.
A knife, a watch, a mobile phone, a set of car keys and a slipper lay on the bloodstained floor.
The entire sixth level was cordoned off, with at least eight police officers present.
Drenched in blood
A resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Koh, 69, said there was a dispute between a man and a couple who were his neighbours.
He said: “At around 7am, I heard screams and a commotion, so I went to level six to see what happened. I saw a woman lying unconscious near the lift. She had wounds all over her body and was completely drenched in blood.”
Mr Koh, a business owner, added: “Her husband was trying to fight off a man who was holding a knife. The husband was yelling, ‘Anyone knows CPR? Please help my wife!’.”
He added that as the husband scuffled with the alleged assailant near the lift, one of the neighbours quickly pulled the couple’s young sons into the neighbour’s flat and closed the door.
He said: “The husband tried to fight the man off. But the man grabbed the husband from the back and stabbed him in the chest area. Then another resident tried to split them up by taking the knife from the man and kicking it away.
“The husband was still conscious when the police came, but his wife’s eyes were closed.”
The entire level was cordoned off, with at least eight police officers present.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
A resident, who lives at Block 322 and who did not want to be identified, said a woman had rushed to his block to take the defibrillator placed there.
“She said someone needed help,” he said.
Photos of the incident showed several people tending to a woman along the corridor while a man covered in blood sat on the ground nearby.
Another photo showed a police officer speaking to a bald man sitting farther away with blood smeared over his legs.
The couple’s children are believed to be about two and five years old.
A resident on the ninth floor of Block 323, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ismail, 65, said: “The dispute between the couple and the man had been going on for years now. The couple usually kept to themselves, but I think the man was not happy with their children playing and making noise.”
Mr Ismail, who is retired and moved to Yishun two years ago, added: “I often see the mother taking her children to childcare in the morning. This estate is usually quite peaceful, so it’s a shock to us that something like this happened.”
Residents said the couple have lived in the estate for around two years, while the alleged attacker has been there for longer.
At around 4pm, investigators were digging around the central trash chute, looking for evidence related to the incident.
Nee Soon GRC MP Jackson Lam, who oversees the area, visited the block in the afternoon and said he spoke to the children’s aunt and offered them assistance.
He said the children are being assessed.
Asked about the dispute over noise, he told the media that there was a complaint made by the alleged assailant’s wife at a Meet-the-People Session in July.
The Housing Board was then made aware of the dispute, but the disagreements continued despite mediation efforts at the Community Mediation Centre.
The dispute was escalated to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals after the noise issues persisted.
Past deadly neighbour disputes
New laws were introduced in 2024
The Community Disputes Resolution Act was amended for a new Community Relations Unit
The unit’s officers are given investigatory and enforcement powers to intervene in disputes between neighbours, and the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals has enhanced powers to resolve cases more quickly and effectively.
Most disputes between neighbours are noise-related, with government agencies receiving an average of around 2,500 complaints monthly.
Some have turned deadly.
In July, a dispute between neighbours in Yishun left one dead and another injured
The man who died was found lying motionless at the foot of the block after allegedly using a knife to attack his neighbour.
In December 2024, a feud between two elderly neighbours in King George’s Avenue
In January 2024, a man allegedly murdered his female neighbour in Bukit Batok
The Yishun Central case is the fourth reported murder in 2025.
In March, a man allegedly murdered his younger brother
In June, a man allegedly murdered a woman, believed to be his mother, in Sengkang
On Sept 18, the police said they were investigating a man for allegedly murdering a woman in Joo Chiat
Physical crime has been on the rise,
