Man slashes friend while under drug influence
Man gets 20 months in jail for violence after consuming 'Ice'
She was shocked when she found out her son had been slashed with a knife.
Worse, it was his friend who attacked him.
"He (the friend) often came to my flat to have his meals and stay overnight. He seems like such a good boy - polite and respectful. I don't know how this could have happened," said the woman, who declined to be named.
Her son, Mr Muhammad Rizuwan Zakariah, 26, suffered a deep wound on his left palm during the attack on July 21, which involved two of his friends. One of them, Sari Gujang, 27, attacked him at a hawker centre around 5am that day.
Sari, who is jobless, was jailed for 20 months on Thursday after pleading guilty to one count each of voluntarily causing hurt with a weapon and drug consumption.
Two other assault charges involving the other friend, Mr Zaifudin Zainudin, 20, were taken into consideration.
Speaking from her Bedok North flat on Thursday, Mr Rizuwan's mother sighed when told that Sari committed the offence while under the influence of drugs.
She said: "I didn't know that. I guess drugs can do that to people. Even though he has attacked my son, I have forgiven him. I just hope that he will turn over a new leaf."
The two have since fallen out with each other, she said.
"After the attack, my son told me that he saw Sari and his parents eating at a hawker centre not too long ago. Their eyes met but my son just walked on. Their friendship is over."
Mr Rizuwan is now working with a friend to "install wires".
She added: "He can only work by using his right hand and still has to go back to hospital for therapy. I pray that he will get better soon."
The court heard on Thursday that Sari had consumed methamphetamine, or "Ice", in his flat at Block 548, Bedok North Avenue 1, in the early morning on July 21.
He met Mr Zaifudin and Mr Rizuwan around 4am that day.
The trio were at a pavilion near Block 537, Bedok North Street 3 when Sari started talking about past grievances with Mr Zaifudin.
Court papers did not mention what they were about.
Angry, he punched Mr Zaifudin on his stomach and face before slashing his right ankle three times with a Swiss Army knife.
He then fled on his motorcycle.
About an hour later, Sari returned and confronted the pair again, armed with a serrated knife with a 30cm-long blade.
He shouted at the pair and when Mr Rizuwan stood up, he slashed at him, cutting his left palm.
EXPOSED KNIFE
While walking towards his block, he spoke to two passers-by and told them not to go to the hawker centre as he had just slashed someone there.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Michael Quilindo said: "The accused said to them 'the hand finished' and exposed the knife with blood stains on it by pulling back the black cloth that was covering the knife."
Mr Rizuwan was rushed to Changi General Hospital and was transferred to the Singapore General Hospital later that day.
The police arrested Sari at his home at about 7.50pm on July 21.
He later admitted that he committed the offences after he lost his temper while high on drugs.
According to a medical report, Mr Rizuwan had a "deep laceration on the left palm with rupture of the flexor muscles to his index, middle and ring fingers".
He underwent surgery on July 21 and was discharged four days later. He was given 16 days of leave to recover.
The court heard that the victim informed the police last Saturday that his doctors and therapists have informed him that he will not regain 100 per cent of the strength and control of his left palm as the nerves were cut.
For voluntarily causing hurt with a weapon, Sari could have been jailed up to seven years and fined or caned or given any combination of such punishments.
For consuming "Ice", he could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined up to $20,000.
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