Indian national in Singapore jailed for biting compatriot's earlobe: Report

A 37-year-old Indian national has been sentenced to five months in jail and fined 1,000 Singaporean dollars for biting off one of the ear lobes of a compatriot worker and also cursing him in 2020 while inebriated.

Manohar Sankar, a construction worker from Tamil Nadu, stayed at a workers' apartment in Singapore along with others, Channel News Asia reported on Monday.

On May 19, 2020, Sankar was drinking liquor on the rooftop of the apartment where the victim was also present.

Without any provocation, Shankar started scolding the 47-year-old Indian, who was not named, with vulgarities in Tamil, following which the victim felt distressed and asked Sankar to stop scolding him.

The pair scuffled and fell down, and Sankar bit off the victim's left earlobe, the report said. While other men separated the duo and administered first aid to the victim.

Shankar pleaded guilty to one count each of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and using abusive words.

Sankar was sentenced to five months in jail and a fine of 1,000 Singaporean dollars (USD 740) for his crimes.

A doctor at a hospital found that the victim had lost 2 cm of his left earlobe in a 'traumatic left ear laceration'. His wounds have since healed, but he suffers permanent disfiguration of his left earlobe, the prosecutor was quoted as saying in the report.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Sankar could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.