Chef gets four weeks’ jail after knife incident at Singapore restaurant — but first, he needs to do his laundry

SINGAPORE, Nov 26 — A chef who lunged at his colleague with a knife while they were preparing ingredients was sentenced to four weeks in jail today.

As reported by CNA, Tiew Cher Suay, 58, pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal intimidation, with an additional charge of committing a rash act taken into account during sentencing.

After Tiew was sentenced, he requested to begin his jail term on Friday, explaining that he needed time to do his laundry.

This reason only came to light after some back-and-forth, as Tiew, speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, initially struggled to explain why he sought the deferment, saying he "did not know how to put it" when asked.

His lawyer, Anil Singh, then consulted with him and clarified the reason to the court.

Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh noted that, given Tiew's time in remand, his sentence would be backdated, and he would be released soon. He then agreed to begin serving his sentence on Tuesday.

According to CNA, Tiew and the victim, both in their 50s, were employed as chefs at the Little Italy restaurant in Woodleigh Mall.

On March 31, while preparing ingredients in the kitchen, the victim asked Tiew to store the food in a proper container. Tiew, who had recently been hired, felt that the victim was assigning him more work than was necessary, CNA said Deputy Public Prosecutor Yee Jia Rong explained.

In response, Tiew shouted at the victim, who stepped back.

Tiew then seized a knife with a 38cm blade and advanced towards the victim. The victim managed to grab hold of Tiew, preventing him from swinging the knife, and pinned his arms against a table. However, Tiew continued to resist while still holding the weapon.

Other restaurant staff stepped in to break up the confrontation, and Tiew was arrested later that day.

The victim sustained cuts to his hands during the struggle and was granted three days of medical leave.

Yee recommended a four to five-week jail sentence for Tiew, emphasising the significant length of the knife he used and the fact that the victim’s actions did not provoke the assault. The prosecutor also pointed to Tiew’s previous convictions, including one for using criminal force and committing a rash act in 2008.

Singh argued for a three-week sentence, highlighting that Tiew had a mild intellectual disability. He explained that Tiew, who had been hired by Little Italy to cook pasta, was tasked with pizza-related duties, which was outside his role.

On the day of the incident, the victim had instructed Tiew on pizza preparation, and he mistakenly placed ingredients in the wrong container.

CNA quoted Singh as saying that the victim had “admonished” Tiew for the mistake and because of that, he “lost his bearings”.

Although Singh acknowledged this as no excuse for Tiew’s actions, he emphasised that Tiew was remorseful and had offered compensation to the victim.

The defence also noted that Tiew had sustained cuts on his hands and was put in a headlock during the struggle, resulting in three days of medical leave.

A doctor from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) recommended that Tiew receive counselling to help him manage his emotions, which Tiew found beneficial and continued to attend.

In reply, Yee stated that the prosecution would not seek a compensation order, as the victim’s medical expenses were already covered by his employer.

He also pointed out that the IMH report found no link between Tiew’s offences and any underlying mental condition. He said that work-related stress did not excuse Tiew’s actions of threatening someone with a dangerous weapon.

“I hope that this is something you remember. No matter how upset or angry you are, you must not take a knife and do what you did. It’s a very serious offence,” the judge was quoted as saying.

In Singapore, the penalty for criminal intimidation can include a jail sentence of up to two years, a fine, or both.