Drink with me, man says before taking out an ax

A 27-year-old man was badly injured on Thursday in a case of extreme peer pressure in Takeo province’s Traing district. Police said the man was driving his motorbike along when another man, 50, blocked his way and demanded that he drink with him. The commuter declined, saying he had urgent business to do, but the already-drunk older man refused to accept this excuse, and, seizing an axe, hacked the moto rider once in the head before escaping on foot. The victim was hospitalised. Police are searching for the suspect. Koh Santepheap

Pushing back against police gets two in jail

Unsurprisingly, two siblings who drunkenly attempted to injure a policeman on Sunday were arrested right afterwards in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district. The police said the two men, 20 and 23, had been taking a motorbike home after drinking beer with friends when they collided with another vehicle, leading to an argument. When police tried to intervene, one of the brothers whipped off his belt, prompting his and his sibling’s arrest. Nokorwat

Enraged gambler loses at cards, loses temper

Choosing to blame other gamblers rather than lady luck, a man who’d lost out in a card game set about attacking another gambler in Kampong Speu province’s Odong district on Sunday. Police said about 10 villagers had been gambling when the argument erupted, causing the 26-year-old sore loser to grab a stick and use it to hit the fellow player in the head several times. The victim was sent to hospital, while police arrested the stick-wielder and shut down the gambling establishment. Nokorwat

Friends choose smart phone over friendship

Two young men in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district had just made a new pal on Sunday when they decided they’d rather have a new iPhone, according to police. The three youths had met up to go for a walk when two of them, 19 and 20, spotted their newfound friend’s fancy gadget and decided, in lieu of the walk, to beat him up and take his gadget, cops said. A nearby crowd intervened and handed one over to police, while the other managed to escape with the phone. Deum Ampil

Drunk driver slams into parked car, flies off seat

A 21-year-old garment worker in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district wound up with a broken leg after drunkenly speeding home from a party on his motorbike in the early hours of Monday morning. Police said the youngster was zooming along when he ran into a car parked outside a garage, totaling his bike, and was knocked unconscious. An onlooker called an ambulance to take him to hospital. The car owner will demand compensation once the man is discharged. Deum Ampil

Translated by Phak Seangly