Jailed for beating up football referee
Muhammad Maziz Abdul Rahman (above), 29, was jailed for 10 months for causing grievous hurt to Mr Mohd Asadullah, 35.PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
Published Aug 29, 2015, 5:00 am SGT
PSA worker must also pay $2k compensation for attack during company football match
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent
Furious at being sent off during a football match, a container handling specialist lunged at the referee and planted his left boot on his thigh, punched his face twice and kicked him in the back of the head.
Muhammad Maziz Abdul Rahman, 29, was jailed for 10 months yesterday for causing grievous hurt, and ordered to pay $2,000 in compensation to the victim, who suffered serious injuries, including a broken nose.
Maziz was then working in PSA's container logistics department. The victim, Mr Mohd Asadullah, 35, was the referee for a PSA inter-departmental match at the PSA Club in Telok Blangah, on Dec 4 last year.
During the first half of the match, the referee showed Maziz, a central midfielder, a yellow card for shouting "stupid or what'' in Malay at him.
In the second half, the referee showed Maziz a second yellow card, followed by a red card, for dissent.
Maziz was then heard telling his teammates that the referee was stupid. When the referee ordered him to leave the pitch, he ran towards him and stepped on his foot. The referee pushed Maziz away. A few of Maziz's teammates then surrounded the referee and shoved him.
Maziz loudly said he would see the victim outside, and that he was not scared as he had beaten up referees before. The referee stood firm and told him to leave the pitch.
Maziz then ran towards the referee and lunged at him, landing his left boot in the victim's thigh, and punched him in the face at least twice. The victim fell down, and his nose began to bleed profusely. The two men were then separated by the other players.
Despite this, Maziz again ran towards the victim and kicked him once on the head, while he was lying on the pitch.
Maziz's lawyer, Mr T.M. Sinnadurai, said Maziz had not only lost his job but also his fiancee as a result of the incident. He said Maziz was shocked and emotional when he was shown the yellow card.
District Judge Adam Nakhoda said Maziz's response to the referee's decisions was completely disproportionate; he had no regard for the referee's authority and his actions were uncalled for.
The judge added that the attack involved the victim's vulnerable parts, and showed Maziz's "hooligan tendency".
The maximum punishment for causing grievous hurt is 10 years' jail, fine or caning.
