SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): After he heard a voice telling him to kill someone and commit suicide, a man armed himself with a knife and a claw hammer and went to Kallang Wave Mall to look for a target.
Chua Jing Yuan wandered around for close to an hour in the early hours of July 14, 2025, before randomly attacking a woman with the knife, slashing her neck and stabbing her in the chest. She survived.
On Nov 2, Chua, 27, was sentenced to 5½ years’ jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted culpable homicide with hurt caused to Choong Wen Ting, who was then 29 years old.
Two charges for possessing offensive weapons in public were considered during sentencing.
Chua was originally charged with attempted murder.
He was later assessed to be suffering from major depressive disorder with psychotic features, which diminished his mental responsibility for his acts.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua told the High Court on Nov 2 that Chua was first seen at Jurong Polyclinic in 2021 for anxiety.
He was referred to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder with obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Chua defaulted on his treatment after his last appointment in March 2023.
Over the next two years, his mental state deteriorated. He reported hearing a voice telling him to kill someone and to commit suicide by drinking bleach, said the prosecutor.
On July 13, 2025, Chua decided to act on the instructions of the voice, which also insisted that he dress in black.
He bought black clothing and shoes, a black backpack, black face masks, gloves, a bottle of bleach, a claw hammer and a kitchen knife.
Chua packed the items in the backpack and changed into his new clothes and shoes. He took a photo of where he stored his belongings so that his family could find them.
At about 12.30am on July 14, he arrived at Kallang Wave Mall and put on a face mask.
Meanwhile, the victim was having drinks with her boyfriend and an acquaintance at a bar in the mall.
At about 1.20am, she was outside the restroom when Chua stopped her, telling her in Mandarin to “wait a moment”.
He took out the knife and targeted her neck and chest as he believed it was the fastest way to kill her.
Chua then fled, but tripped and fell after exiting the mall. He was restrained by the victim’s boyfriend and acquaintance, who gave chase after spotting him. During the struggle, the bottle of bleach and the knife fell out of his backpack.
Other passers-by helped to subdue Chua and call the police.
When he was arrested, Chua repeatedly demanded that the police officers shoot him, and also threatened to kill himself.
The victim was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she underwent surgery.
She had a 5cm stab wound to the right side of her chest which cut into muscle, and a 6cm slash to her neck that cut the external jugular vein without injuring any major nerve or vital blood vessel.
She was discharged the next day.
A medical report stated that the neck injury could have been fatal if there had been massive blood loss.
The prosecutor sought seven years’ jail, arguing that beyond acting on the broad instructions of his auditory hallucinations, Chua had planned and carried out the attack with systematic deliberation.
She added that he had attacked a stranger in a public place of recreation, with the intent to kill. “The attack was wholly senseless. Any member of public could have been the accused’s target,” she said, adding that such attacks can cause significant public disquiet.
Defence counsel Choo Yean Lin asked for a jail term of not more than three years, emphasising that her client was suffering from a severe mental condition that significantly contributed to his offence.
She added that he is currently undergoing treatment in prison for his mental conditions, and had paid about $2,500 to the victim for her medical expenses. -- The Straits Times/Asian News Network
