Updated: 07/31/2013 16:50 | By Channel NewsAsia
Man jailed, caned for brandishing replica pistol
SINGAPORE: A man was jailed 14 months and sentenced to three strokes of the cane by a district court on Wednesday for brandishing a replica pistol with the intent to cause criminal intimidation.
34-year-old Kenny Lim Sze Yu, who was unemployed, committed the offence in February this year.
The court heard that a dispute had broken out between Lim and three other men at a prata shop in Orchard Plaza around 6am.
This came after Lim threw the food that was served to him on the floor and flipped a table over.
Believing he was outnumbered, Lim then pulled the replica pistol from his bag as he wanted to use it to frighten off the three men.
But one of the men pounced on Lim and pinned him down, while another stepped on the replica pistol, causing it to break into pieces.
Lim was arrested after a member of public called the police about the fight.
The court also heard that Lim had paid a friend S$50 for the replica pistol. His friend was in need of some cash and had offered to sell the pistol.
In mitigation, Lim's lawyer Peter Fernando said his client had been drinking before the incident. He added that the incident was not pre-meditated and had happened at the spur of the moment.
He added that Lim was also deeply remorseful.
Lim also had three other charges of robbery involving small amounts of cash taken into consideration for sentencing.
He could have been jailed up to 10 years and caned for the offence involving the replica pistol. - CNA/xq
