SINGAPORE: A man who hit a coffeeshop drink stall attendant in the face with a plastic chair and placed her in a headlock has been sentenced to one year and six weeks’ jail.
On Aug 19, Mok Teck Nam, 65, pleaded guilty to a slew of offences, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt, using insulting words intending to cause harassment, and theft.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jolene Tan said that on Nov 9, 2025, Mok was intoxicated and sleeping on the ground at a coffeeshop in Towner Road, near Boon Keng MRT station.
At around 3.30am, the 59-year-old drink stall employee tried to wake him up, but he responded by scolding her with Hokkien vulgarities.
As a verbal altercation ensued between them, Mok threw a plate of noodles at the employee’s head.
A video taken of the argument showed the employee’s face and shirt stained with sauce. The police were called, and the employee held up a plastic chair to block Mok from leaving before the police arrived.
Mok swung food trays at the employee’s arm and an unknown object at her head, said the prosecutor.
He then placed the woman in a headlock, pushed her to the ground and used his body weight to prevent her from getting up.
Picking up a plastic chair, he swung it several times to hit her head as she remained on the ground.
Mok left the scene before the police arrived, but was arrested later that day.
The employee suffered a 3.5cm laceration on her scalp and a spine fracture.
Separately, Mok admitted to stealing a microphone worth $195 from a pub in Serangoon on Nov 5, 2025. He placed the microphone in his pants and covered it with his shirt before leaving the pub.
His actions came to light when the director of the pub did a stock take and noticed one of the microphones was missing. Mok was ordered on Aug 19 to pay compensation for the microphone.
DPP Tan said Mok had previously been convicted of violence-related offences, including using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty in 2013 and voluntarily causing hurt in 2021.
“It appears that he has remained undeterred and recalcitrant despite the sentences imposed on him,” said the prosecutor. She urged the court to impose an overall jail term of between eight months, 19 weeks and two days, and 10 months, 20 weeks and two days.
Those convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt can be jailed for up to 10 years, and is liable to a fine or caning. - The Straits Times/ANN
