SINGAPORE – A man was sentenced to 13 weeks’ jail for kicking a 67-year-old woman because he thought she had called him stupid.

       He believed the woman did that because he was experiencing auditory hallucinations – hearing sounds or voices that are not there.

       On Oct 21, Alvin Chew Hou Ming, 51, pleaded guilty to one charge of assault.

       Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Da Zhuan said that on Dec 13, 2021, the victim was with her husband at Circuit Road Hawker Centre when Chew confronted her, accusing her of mocking him for being stupid.

       “This did not actually happen, and the victim never once called out to the accused or mocked him,” said the prosecutor, adding that Chew and the victim were strangers.

       To avoid trouble, the victim ignored Chew and walked away.

       When he saw that she ignored him, he kicked her on her back. She fell forward onto a chair at the hawker centre and then to the ground.

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       Chew was subsequently remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for evaluation, and was diagnosed with psychotic disorder at the time of the offence.

       “The doctor opined that he experienced auditory hallucinations that the victim called him ‘stupid’, hence he was paranoid towards her and possibly kicked her in anger,” said DPP Lee.

       As a result of the kick, the victim suffered blunt abdominal trauma and had to undergo a procedure to repair a small bowel injury. She was hospitalised for seven days and given hospitalisation leave for 14 days.

       The medical bills for the surgery amounted to over $3,600 but no restitution has been made to date, said the DPP.

       The pain in her abdomen also prevented her from returning to work, and she had to resign from her job. It was not mentioned in court what kind of work she was doing.

       She resumed work around six months later in May 2022, said the prosecutor.

       Seeking at least 12 to 13 weeks’ jail for Chew, DPP Lee said no mitigating weight should be attributed to Chew’s psychotic disorder diagnosis.

       “The IMH report merely describes what the accused reportedly experienced – that he thought the victim had called him ‘stupid’, and crucially does not show that he was unable to control or refrain himself from committing the criminal act because of his mental condition,” said the prosecutor.

       In mitigation, Chew apologised for his actions and said he was drunk at the time, adding that he was unable to make restitution as he has been unemployed for the past few years.

       In meting out the sentence, Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh told Chew: “Even if someone used that word on you, which in this case the victim did not, it does not mean you can just go and beat up that person.”

       In response, Chew said people have called him “stupid” for many years.

       He then apologised to the judge, who warned him not to reoffend.

       For hurting the woman, Chew could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to $10,000, or both.