RESTRAINED: (Above) The civilian officer with the Singapore Police Force standing over the attacker, Taib Saleh (seated) in the foodcourt. PHOTOS: MADAM YULIANA, TNP FILE
Foodcourt worker lost kidney in stabbing case
Man, 66, jailed for stealing knife and stabbing foodcourt worker
Jun 30, 2016 6:00am
By RONALD LOH
The married man believed he was in a relationship with the woman he later attacked.
Upset with her because he thought she had broken up with him, he stole a knife from a hypermarket, went to the foodcourt stall where she worked and stabbed her twice in the abdomen.
He had to be restrained by a civilian officer with the Singapore Police Force (SPF), but the damage had been done.
Even after emergency surgery, her left kidney had to be removed.
Yesterday, Taib Saleh, 66, a security guard, was jailed 28 months for stabbing Ms Noraisha Abdul Rahman, 44, and for stealing a knife from Giant Hypermarket on Feb 26 this year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ho Lian-Yi told the court that investigations revealed that Taib had known Ms Noraisha for many years.
Taib claimed to the authorities that they were in a sexual relationship, but she denied this.
On Feb 26, Ms Noraisha sent Taib a series of text messages, which Taib interpreted as her breaking up with him. At about 1.30pm, he went to the Kopitiam stall selling popiah, goreng pisang and vegetarian food at VivoCity where she worked as a helper.
He became jealous when he saw her speaking to another man.
Taib went to the Giant Hypermarket in the mall, stole a knife that had a 12cm blade and hid it in the right pocket of his pants.
He returned to the foodcourt and approached Ms Noraisha before stabbing the left side of her abdomen once with the knife.
SCREAMED FOR HELP
The stall's assistant manager, Madam Yuliana, 38, who goes by only one name, screamed for help.
Taib stabbed Ms Noraisha again.
A civilian officer of the SPF, Mr Larry Liem, 40, was nearby and rushed over to disarm Taib.
He also restrained Taib until police officers and a paramedic arrived.
Ms Noraisha was rushed to Singapore General Hospitalwith abnormally low blood pressure and she had to be resuscitated.
She also underwent surgery on her abdomen, was hospitalised for 12 days and was given a total of 61 days' medical leave.
Taib was found to be suffering from major depressive disorder.
He also told the authorities he wanted to teach Ms Noraisha a lesson after hearing voices telling him to do so.
He pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon and one count of theft in dwelling.
Yesterday, Taib, who was not represented by a lawyer, told the court he was sorry for the offences and that had an ill wife at home to care for.
District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan noted Taib's psychiatric condition, but said the court could not ignore the vicious assault.
The judge added that Ms Noraisha had lost the use of a kidney for life.
When The New Paper visited Ms Noraisha's stall yesterday, her colleagues said she had not been back to work since the incident.
Madam Yuliana told TNP she last spoke to Ms Noraisha, who is divorced with a child, about a month ago.
She said in Malay: "She is feeling a bit better, much better than last time.
"But still Amin (what she calls Ms Noraisha) cannot work and it makes me so sad for her because she has a child and she has no husband, it must be so hard."
