The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced a Chinese garment supervisor to two years in prison for stabbing his boss in the back with a pair of scissors in February.

Cao Jing Fong, 24, a former sewing unit chief at Jin Sung Garment Factory, stabbed his boss, Li Xing, because the latter allegedly did not pay Cao’s salary for a month, then fired him.

During the trial, Cao denied stabbing Li and insisted that his boss was wounded by accident when he tried to prevent Cao’s suicide on the factory floor.

“I did not stab him,” Cao explained at the trial. “In fact, I tried to kill myself but he came to stop me from committing suicide and it caused him to be wounded.”

Li sustained a severe injury in the attack. Cao was charged and convicted of committing an intentional act of violence under aggravating circumstances.

Judge Veng Huoth, who read the sentence, said that Cao has 30 days to appeal the ruling. Cao and his lawyer were not available for comment yesterday.