A Singapore man has been handed a 12-month prison sentence for a violent history spanning six years, culminating in an assault on his girlfriend while out on bail awaiting trial for a far more serious crime. Donovan Doran Chung Yi Peng, 36, pleaded guilty to three charges of causing hurt, with four additional charges relating to hurt, harassment and criminal intimidation taken into consideration during sentencing on Friday, August 14. The court also ordered him to compensate his ex-girlfriend S$785.35 or face an additional two days' imprisonment.
Chung's criminal trajectory began with a workshop arson in the early morning hours of August 24, 2019. The incident centred on a disagreement with a childhood friend employed as a carpenter at a workshop in Eunos. Court documents did not elaborate on the nature of their dispute, but Chung's response proved catastrophic. At 1.40am, Chung arrived at the workshop accompanied by two other men, including his co-conspirator Toh Wei Tiong, 44. The trio armed themselves with lighters and sealer spray cans found on the premises before deliberately igniting the carpenter and setting the workshop ablaze.
The victim managed to escape the burning facility but collapsed outside. A third member of the group used cloth to extinguish flames consuming the man's clothing. Chung then verbally confronted his injured friend about their dispute before departing the scene. The carpenter, driven perhaps by shock or concern for his workplace, struggled back inside the still-burning workshop. Members of the public at a neighbouring unit detected smoke, alerted the Singapore Civil Defence Force and assisted in suppressing the flames. The victim sustained burns across 11 per cent of his body surface area, requiring skin grafting and multiple surgical interventions, though he ultimately declined one procedure.
Within hours of the attack, Chung and Toh absconded through Woodlands Checkpoint. This successful escape prompted police to issue a gazette notice, but Chung evaded capture for five years. His freedom ended in August 2024 when Thai authorities detained him and repatriated him to Singapore on August 28. Despite the gravity of the outstanding arson charge, Chung secured bail the following day, a decision that would prove consequential.
Free from custody, Chung initiated a new romantic relationship in August 2025 with a woman he had known since secondary school. The relationship remained casual, with his girlfriend occasionally spending nights at his residence. This domestic arrangement set the stage for the second violent episode that now forms part of his sentencing record. On September 24, 2025, shortly after his girlfriend returned from a trip to China, Chung became consumed by suspicion regarding her fidelity. When she refused his demand to examine her mobile telephone, he physically assaulted her, pulling her arm forcefully before delivering multiple punches to her face.
As his girlfriend retreated to the floor, curling into a protective position, Chung retrieved scissors and stabbed her repeatedly in the thigh. Her screams attracted the attention of his domestic helper, who alerted Chung's mother. The mother subsequently called her son to determine what was transpiring. The injured woman eventually fled the residence and sought medical treatment, requiring stitches for the stab wounds and receiving three days' medical leave from her employer. Remarkably, despite this serious assault, the couple continued their relationship, maintaining contact in the weeks following the incident.
The couple's troubled dynamic continued through October. On the night of October 12, 2025, they were sharing a dim sum meal when their disagreement escalated. This sequence of events—the arson conviction dating to 2019, the five-year fugitive period, the bail release, and subsequent assault in 2025—demonstrates a troubling pattern of violence that intensified rather than diminished following his arrest and release from custody. The case raises significant questions about bail conditions and risk assessment in serious criminal matters, particularly when individuals with violent histories are released pending trial.
Toh Wei Tiong, Chung's accomplice in the 2019 workshop arson, was apprehended when he returned to Singapore in May 2025 and has since been processed through the courts. The differing timelines of their apprehension—Chung's five-year absence compared to Toh's earlier return—suggest distinct post-crime trajectories, though both ultimately faced justice. The 2019 incident itself represents a calculated, multi-person assault rather than a spontaneous outbreak of violence, indicating premeditation and willingness to cause serious bodily harm over a workplace disagreement.
The compensation order of S$785.35, while acknowledgment of the girlfriend's medical expenses, represents a token gesture relative to the severity of the assault and the lasting psychological trauma such violence typically inflicts. The discretionary consideration of additional charges—those not brought to trial but factored into sentencing—demonstrates judicial recognition that Chung's violent behaviour extended beyond the three counts to which he pleaded guilty. His conduct while on bail, attacking an intimate partner and refusing to acknowledge the seriousness of his actions given that they continued dating, suggests limited insight into the gravity of his behaviour or remorse for his actions.
