
Man charged with attempted murder in stranger attack at Singapore mall, to undergo psychiatric assessment
Chua Jing Yuan is accused of slashing 29-year-old Choong Wen Ting on the neck and stabbing her in the chest with the intention of killing her, according to charge sheets seen by The Straits Times.
The incident reportedly took place at around 1.20am on July 14 along a walkway in the mall.
The Straits Times understands that Chua and Choong did not know each other. Court documents did not reveal a motive for the alleged assault.
Police said Chua was disarmed and detained by members of the public before officers arrived and arrested him.
He sustained injuries during the incident and was charged in hospital yesterday, in a closed-door session not open to the media.
Choong was taken to hospital and is currently in stable condition.
Authorities said they will be seeking a court order to remand Chua for psychiatric assessment.
If found guilty of attempted murder, Chua faces life imprisonment or up to 20 years in jail, along with a possible fine and caning.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Beng Hock's family rejects MACC apology, calls it insincere
Teoh Lee Lan (third from left) and members of the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement hold up pictures of MACC officers they believes were involved in her brother's death. KUALA LUMPUR : The family of the late Teoh Beng Hock has rejected the apology issued by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, describing it as insincere and impenitent. Beng Hock's sister, Lee Lan, said the apology by MACC chief Azam Baki was merely a public relations exercise, with no genuine accountability or follow-up action. 'They are only apologising because they see us suffering. There is no sincerity in this apology,' Lee Lan said at a press conference here today. 'No action has been taken against the MACC officers who are suspected to be involved. We want justice and the truth. We want to know what really happened at MACC that day.' She also said her family is not seeking compensation but justice, adding that an earlier proposal by the Attorney-General's Chambers to offer additional compensation, following the return of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2022, was also turned down. 'What we demand is the truth and justice. The perpetrators must be charged and punished in accordance with the law. We don't want money,' she said. Earlier, Azam said MACC offered to give a goodwill contribution to Beng Hock's family as a 'gesture of compassion'. At the press conference, Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement chairman Ng Yap Hwa said no could put a price tag on someone's life. He also sarcastically suggested for Azam to 'surrender' the five MACC officers who the association believed were involved in Beng Hock's death.

Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
JB-Singapore vape run ends in two-week jail term after 1,800 devices found in car at Woodlands
SINGAPORE, July 17 — A Singaporean man who tried to smuggle more than 1,800 e-vaporisers and pods into Singapore from Johor Bahru has been sentenced to two weeks' jail, The Straits Times reported yesterday. James Wong Jun Jie, 36, was caught during his second attempt at Woodlands Checkpoint in September 2024, when officers discovered the illicit haul hidden in the boot and bonnet of his car. Investigators later found another stash in his Sin Ming flat from an earlier undetected run. He pleaded guilty to one charge under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. Three other similar charges were considered during sentencing. According to court documents cited by The Straits Times, Wong was recruited earlier that year by a man known only as Raj, whom he met at the Mid Valley Southkey mall in Johor Bahru. Raj offered him RM600 per trip to smuggle e-vaporisers and pods into Singapore. On September 10, 2024, Wong completed his first trip without being stopped. Emboldened, he attempted a second run two days later. He drove to Johor Bahru, parked at Mydin Mall, and left his car unlocked so that Raj's associates could load it with vapes. When he returned to Singapore around 11am on September 12, he was flagged by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers. They found 1,086 pods and 732 e-vaporisers in his car, which were handed over to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for investigation. That same night, HSA officers raided his home and found an additional 1,320 pods and 679 vapes from the earlier smuggling trip. Wong had been waiting for Raj's instructions to complete delivery by leaving the car unlocked at a carpark in Woodlands. District Judge Wong Li Tein rejected Wong's appeal for a lighter community-based sentence, stating: 'The problem of vaping in Singapore is a serious one. So community-based sentences are not suitable.' The Straits Times noted that Wong's case comes amid a surge in enforcement to curb the growing vape problem in Singapore. In May, HSA and the Ministry of Health said nearly 18,000 people were caught for possessing or using e-vaporisers between January 2024 and March 2025. Seizures during that period totalled S$41 million (RM135.6 million) — nearly five times the value of all seizures from 2019 to end-2023. The HSA has also intensified prosecution efforts. In the same statement, the agency said it had prosecuted 27 people for failing to pay fines and took another 60 individuals to court for selling e-vaporisers. Two men involved in a major smuggling syndicate, Ivan Sin and Toh Wee Leong, received the harshest penalties so far — each fined over S$14,000 and sentenced to 10 months' jail.


Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
‘Papa sorry': Unlicensed driver jailed 12 weeks after running over daughter, 2, in Singapore carpark
SINGAPORE, July 17 — A man who ran over his two-year-old daughter while driving without a licence has been jailed for 12 weeks, after a tragic carpark crash that also injured his wife and left him repeatedly muttering 'Papa sorry' as he held his motionless child. The 36-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identities of his surviving children, was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty to driving without a valid licence and without insurance, The Straits Times reported. He was also disqualified from driving for three years. Two other charges — for driving without due care and attention — were taken into consideration during sentencing. According to the facts of the case, the accident happened on March 13, 2023, in the carpark of Block 326 Woodlands Street 32. At the time, the man was on the run from a 2021 conviction for unlicensed moneylending. That day, his wife — who had rented a delivery van — was delivering parcels in the area with their two children. After a few stops, the man asked to drive so they could finish up and go for lunch. Although she knew he had no licence, she agreed. Moments later, as she pushed their daughter in a stroller along the road while delivering more parcels, he turned the van into the carpark. Footage played in court did not capture the impact but showed the van turning too close. According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong, the van toppled the stroller and ran over the girl and the wife's right foot. Screaming, the wife rushed to cradle her daughter. The man braked, reversed, and ran out. He took the girl in his arms and tried to revive her. 'He then walked around aimlessly while carrying the toddler, mumbling: 'Papa sorry,'' said DPP Ng. The child was taken to hospital with head injuries and severe bleeding but died at about 3.30pm the same day. The man was arrested after the accident and began serving his one-year jail term for his earlier offence. The court heard he had previously been fined S$1,500 (RM5,000) in August 2021 for unlicensed driving. According to The Straits Times, DPP Ng reportedly said, 'The consequences which arose from the accused's driving was grave as well as tragic. An accident occurred, and the accused caused the death of his own daughter, as well as untold grief to both his wife and himself.' In court, the man — who did not have a lawyer — questioned the two-year delay before charges were brought. But District Judge Shawn Ho noted that the authorities had needed time to gather medical and other reports, and that the man had also absconded and served jail time during that period. The man told the court that he and his wife were still grieving. 'As a human, (how) do I feel if I cannot bury my own daughter when I'm inside (prison)?' he said, describing himself as the sole breadwinner. 'It's our own daughter, not an outsider or a passer-by... It's hard for us to move on,' he added. The couple have since had another baby — a six-month-old boy — who was in court with the wife, their elder son and other family members. After Judge Ho handed down the sentence, the man asked again for leniency. The judge said his plea had been taken seriously. The Straits Times reported that the man accepted the decision and kissed his sons goodbye before being led away.