SINGAPORE – The 41-year-old man who was involved in a fatal fight in a back alley in Geylang was sentenced to six years and 10 months’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane on April 24.
He had gotten into a fight with 67-year-old Sivarajoo Pitchay Pillai, who later died of his injuries.
Zubir Mohamed pleaded guilty to four charges, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt, using abusive words against a public service worker, and two counts of theft.
The court heard that Zubir and his wife had gone to the back alley of 669 Geylang Road on the afternoon of Aug 3, 2024, to purchase illicit medications.
Pretending it was his and his wife’s birthday, Zubir spoke to a person identified as Tan in court documents and asked for free cough syrup or pills.
When Tan refused, Zubir asked Mr Sivarajoo to give him a treat. The latter handed $20 to Zubir, who used the money to purchase a bottle of cough syrup from Tan.
The two men later began talking about some tablets Mr Sivarajoo had in his possession.
Mr Sivarajoo later realised that some of his pills were missing after Zubir touched his pocket.
When he confronted Zubir, the latter denied stealing the tablets and hurled vulgarities at him.
Amid the confrontation, Zubir pushed Mr Sivarajoo, who was standing with the support of a walking stick, causing him to fall to the ground.
Despite being held back by his wife, Zubir tried to punch Mr Sivarajoo’s face and attempted to snatch his walking stick. CCTV footage of the incident showed Zubir pushing the older man several times, and punching him in the face.
Tan, who witnessed the commotion, told Zubir to stop and leave. He also helped Mr Sivarajoo onto a plastic chair to rest. By then, the older man’s eyes were red and he was bleeding from his nose and mouth.
