A 66-year-old man was sentenced to four months and two weeks in jail for causing disturbances at a coffee shop that led to injuries of two people.
Huang Yabo faced six charges at the State Courts on Tuesday (15 Apr 2025), including public nuisance and intentionally causing grievous hurt. He pleaded guilty to three charges, with the other three taken into consideration for sentencing.
On December 9, 2023, Huang went to a coffee shop at Block 304 on Serangoon Ave 2 and began shouting vulgarities in Hokkien at customers. He approached a table where a 78-year-old man was sitting with two others and continued shouting.
When the three stood up to question him, a physical confrontation occurred. Huang pushed the elderly victim, causing him to fall backward and hit his chest against a chair. The victim suffered a displaced fracture in his right rib and was ordered to rest until December 29.
Just two days later, on December 11, Huang returned to the same coffee shop. While taking a phone call, he became emotional and began shouting vulgarities again. When a nearby customer asked him not to stand so close, Huang responded aggressively.
The situation escalated into a fight. During the struggle, Huang broke a beer bottle on the ground. In the commotion, the man stepped on broken glass, cutting his toe. This resulted in a severed medial neurovascular bundle and thumb muscle tendon, requiring two months of rest. The nerve damage may cause permanent partial numbness in the man’s toe.
Both Huang and the second victim were treated at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Huang suffered multiple facial lacerations, including one that needed stitches.
