File photo of Siti Zahara Afifi Abdul Karim. She was sentenced to 16 months’ jail for kicking her colleague’s face while wearing stiletto heels and leaving the victim effectively blind. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
SINGAPORE – A former nightclub hostess who blinded the left eye of her colleague with her 14.5cm-long stiletto heel was sentenced to 16 months’ jail on Friday.
Siti Zahara Afifi Abdul Karim, 28, was also ordered to pay compensation of $5,923 for the medical bills incurred by Ms Nur Lena Rahmat, 30, who is now effectively blind.
The mother of three had admitted to causing grievous hurt to the then 29-year-old part-time hostess through a rash act to endanger the personal safety of others.
Sentencing her on Friday, District Judge Mathew Joseph said there were several aggravating factors in this case. Siti Zahara had attacked a sensitive and vulnerable part of the victim’s body – her face and eye region – by thrusting her stiletto heels at her face three times.
“In your unrestrained and consuming anger, you had perversely turned a simple fashion accessory item into a lethal weapon. This was simply astonishing and an incomprehensible and inhumane act on your part,” he said.
He told her that she had behaved in an “extremely aggressive manner”, and had continued attacking the victim even after others tried to intervene. She stopped only when the victim cried out, “I cannot see, I cannot see”.
Mr Joseph told Siti Zahara that she was extremely fortunate that she was not convicted of causing grievous hurt, where the maximum sentence is 15 years’ jail, but of committing a rash act, which has a maximum sentence of four years’ jail and a $10,000 fine.
The incident took place at Club One KTV Boutique in Jalan Sultan at about 3am on Oct 8, 2015.
The court heard that the two women had an argument over the money paid for the braces of the accused’s younger sister.
The sister had been in a relationship with the victim’s male friend, who wanted to continue paying for her braces even after they had broken up. The victim had allegedly urged her friend not to do so.
When Siti Zahara and Ms Nur Lena fell onto the floor, bystanders tried to separate them, but Siti Zahara continued kicking in a fast and aggressive manner in the direction of the victim.
The victim felt the heel hit her eyelid twice before the heel went into her eye, causing her eyeball to pop out.
She was heard exclaiming: “I cannot see, I cannot see.”
She was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she underwent treatment. Her left eye was removed and an implant was put in.
She now has limited vision in her right eye.
Siti Zahara, who was represented by Mr Wilbur Lim from the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, was allowed to start her sentence on Nov 23. Bail of $10,000 was allowed.