Aggressive Customer Sentenced to Jail for Throwing Hot Porridge at Elderly Hawker
A 67-year-old hawker at Whampoa Hawker Centre has been awarded S$16,000 in compensation after a male customer threw scalding hot porridge at her, causing first- and second-degree burns. The incident occurred on February 1, 2020, when Zhou Yu Ye, the elderly hawker, was preparing porridge for a customer, Liew Zhang De, who had ordered the dish for his infant child.
The trouble began when Liew was dissatisfied with the eggs in his order, which were not cooked to his liking. He expressed his frustration by swearing at Zhou and belittling her. Despite Zhou preparing a new bowl of porridge for him, Liew’s anger escalated. After Zhou mentioned that she was the boss of the stall, Liew, still enraged, opened the freshly prepared porridge and hurled it at her.
Liew was subsequently sentenced to 12 weeks in jail for the attack. The hawker has since been compensated for the harm caused by the incident, which left her with painful burns.
