Cook has mental illness and thought imaginary girlfriend was in trouble

By Amanda Yong
February 02, 2010 

A Myanmar national was jailed seven months last week for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

Chan Mye Win, 30, "heard" a woman's voice calling from help from within a cupboard his neighbours were carrying in the corridor on 15 Nov last year.

The cook, who is single, strongly believed that he had a girlfriend and that the voice belonged to her.

He brandished a 30cm-long vegetable knife at them when they ignored his calls to "free my girlfriend", and also at his flat mates.

He stopped threatening his neighbours when the voice stopped, but charged at shield-wielding police officers who arrived about half an hour later.

Chan thrust his weapon at one of the officers, but the policeman used his shield to deflect the knife, which then hit the wall and broke.

During the brief struggle, Chan stabbed one of the officers with the broken blade.

The officer suffered a superficial cut on his left arm and a laceration on his left wrist.

For voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, Chan could have been jailed seven years and caned.