SINGAPORE - A lorry driver attacked a former schoolmate with a samurai sword because of a Facebook post which insulted his mother.

Sivabala Murugan Vindan, 25, was jailed for a year on Monday (Feb 6) for causing hurt to Mr Ramesh Valaiyapathi after a late-night drinking session at an Orchid Country Club chalet where they had been celebrating a friend's birthday on June 30 2017.

Sivabala became angry after Mr Ramesh, 22, pulled his chair away as he was about to sit down, sparking what Deputy Public Prosecutor Dora Tay described as a "verbal and physical altercation".

Friends stepped in and Mr Ramesh left the chalet. The younger man then posted the insult on social media.

When Sivabala found out about the post , he armed himself with the sword and went looking for Mr Ramesh at his home, searching each floor of an HDB block for his unit.

DPP Tay said that after spotting Mr Ramesh in a corridor, Sivabala threw "a few punches" then drew the 80cm blade from its sheath and slashed his victim around his left ear.

Mr Ramesh's mother heard the commotion and stepped out of her flat and screamed when she saw what was happening.

A neighbour alerted the police and Sivabala fled on July 1.

Mr Ramesh needed stitches when he went to hospital.

Sivabala pleaded guilty to causing hurt with the sword. A count of possessing the weapon was taken into consideration during sentencing.

Sivabala's lawyer Mr Kalidass Murugaiyan told the court that his client was "extremely provoked" by Mr Ramesh's Facebook post, adding that he was not a hardened criminal but "a foolish youth who made a mistake early in his life."

Sivabala could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned.