SINGAPORE – A teenager was supposed to plead guilty in December 2022 to offences including committing mischief when he absconded and took part in a knife attack at Rest Bugis Hotel in March.

On Monday, the Indonesian youth, now 19, pleaded guilty to six charges including assault and being a member of an unlawful assembly. He cannot be named due to a gag order.

In November 2019, he was convicted of offences including dishonest misappropriation of property and was ordered to undergo reformative training. Offenders ordered to undergo such training are detained in a centre where they observe a strict regimen that can include foot drills and counselling.

He was later released and made to wear an electronic tagging (e-tagging) device to monitor his movement.

Instead of behaving, he armed himself with a metal rod and, together with four other teenagers on July 25, 2021, confronted another group in Toa Payoh at around 2pm over a dispute involving vaporiser pods.

That same night, the Indonesian teenager cut off the strap of his e-tagging device at around 9pm.

He was arrested on July 26, 2021, and was expected to plead guilty in court on Dec 14, 2022, when he jumped bail. A warrant of arrest was issued against him.

Around midnight on March 27, 2023, one of his friends, Norliana Hazuliana, was in a room at the Rest Bugis Hotel in Jalan Kubor near Arab Street with a group of people when she got into a disagreement with a 20-year-old man.

Norliana, 24, was unhappy after the man told her she should not be with her boyfriend as he was in prison at the time.

She was on a video call with the Indonesian youth and one Mohammad Ghufran Sinarfadhli, 23, later that morning when the 20-year-old man interrupted the conversation and insulted the pair.

The prosecution told the court that an upset Norliana then invited the Indonesian youth and Ghufran to the hotel room to teach the man a lesson.

Despite not having a motorcycle licence, the Indonesian – who had packed a bag with two serrated knives – rode a motorcycle to the Kallang area, with Ghufran riding pillion.

The pair reached Rest Bugis Hotel at around 11am, and Norliana took them up to the room. She knocked on the door and a 19-year-old woman opened it.

The Indonesian slashed the woman twice with his knife before Norliana stopped him. He and Ghufran proceeded to attack the 20-year-old man before fleeing the scene.

The female victim was left with two large wounds, while the man had multiple slash wounds, including on his head and arms.

The male victim left the room and went to another hotel.

Norliana then told the male victim about her role in the attack. Staff at the first hotel later spotted blood in the room and alerted the police.

The male victim was arrested and taken by ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He was discharged four days later.

A medical report stated that injuries to his right knee joint and left hand may result in permanent disabilities.

After the attack, the Indonesian youth was at the ground floor of a Kallang Bahru block of flats when he spotted police officers running towards him at around 4pm on March 27.

He was running away from them when he dropped a kerambit knife, which has a curved blade resembling a claw.

Officers arrested him after a half-hour chase. Police nabbed Ghufran the next day.

On Monday, the court called for a report to assess the Indonesian’s suitability for another stint of reformative training, and his case was adjourned to November.

The cases involving Ghufran and Norliana are still pending.