Small customer’s big expectations rankle

A mechanic proved a little too precious when it came to accepting feedback about his work on Wednesday, taking  a toolkit to a customer’s head in Mondulkiri’s Sen Monorom town before being arrested. The customer – who at 13 perhaps should have been arrested himself for underage driving – complained that his local Mr Fixit had done a shoddy job repairing his car. An argument ensued, and the mechanic assaulted the precocious complainant. He fled but was arrested later and confessed. Nokorwat

Stolen motorbike takes thief straight back to jail

Fresh from serving a 16-month prison term for snatching a purse, a 22-year-old man put an end to any out-of-jailhouse blues he might have had by stealing a motorbike on Wednesday. Fancying himself a wheeler and dealer, the man nicked the moto in the capital’s Tuol Kork district and attempted to peddle it – no pun intended; it wasn’t a bicycle – to a dealership. Sensing something untoward, the shop’s owner alerted police. Officers arrested him – finding drugs in the process – and sent him back to the big house. Kampuchea Thmey

Cleave to me or I’ll cleaver your beau

The green-eyed monster got the better of a husband in the capital’s Tuol Kork district on Wednesday when he attacked his friend with a cleaver. The 23-year-old had suspected his wife was having it off with his friend, 29, and confronted her. An argument ended in the insecure spouse punching his other half in the face, before the third wheel claimed innocence. It was a plea that the enraged husband, who hacked his friend’s hands and ears, clearly didn’t buy. The victim was hospitalised, while the husband began forging a new life on the road. Kampuchea Thmey

Couple’s meth-od of profit lands them in jail

“Till meth do us part” is a mantra befitting the daring practice of a married couple arrested in Banteay Meanchey’s Malai district on Wednesday. When farming proved fruitless, the pair turned partners in crime, buying and selling drugs to locals for four months. Police raided their home after a tip-off, seizing 100 tablets of methamphetamine, arresting them and sending them to separate cells to await trial. Kampuchea Thmey

Driver stabbed, robbed by ungrateful customer

A motodop who made the conscientious decision to put in some extra hours before Khmer New Year may be regretting it after being stabbed in a robbery in Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district this week. The 30-year-old was driving through a secluded spot when a passenger he was taking home from Koh Pich stabbed him in the neck and hand, before escaping on a bike. Kampuchea Thmey

Translated by Phak Seangly