Aug 12, 2010
Jailed for hitting bus driver
<!-- by line --> By Khushwant Singh
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<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start --> ANGRY that the bus was travelling too slowly for his liking, Lam Wee Yang, 59, scolded the driver before taking matters into his own hands. He hit the driver's head with the bag he was carrying and then sent the bus swerving dangerously by grabbing the steering wheel. For hurting driver Wei Jin Guang and endangering the safety of 13 passengers on the bus, the coffee-shop assistant was jailed two months and three weeks on Thursday by a district court.
Lam drank several bottles of beer after finishing his shift at a Geylang coffee shop at 8pm. At 11.45pm, he boarded SBS Transit's number 63 near Lorong 11 Geylang and took the seat behind the driver. The Singaporean grew impatient when the bus pulled out slowly from the bus stop so as not to hit cars that were parked illegally along the road. Lam started scolding the driver but Mr Wei, a Chinese national, probably tried to diffuse the situation by remaining silent.
Along North Bridge Road, Lam suddenly swung his plastic bag, which contained his purchases of a packet of food and an alarm clock, at Mr Wei. The driver activated the emergency button to alert the SBS operations room that he was being attacked. Minutes later, Lam grabbed the steering wheel, forcing the bus to halt. According to SBS Transit, 11 of its workers were assaulted last year down from 18 the previous year. Bus operator SMRT had six cases in each of those years.
Lam could have jailed up to six months and/or fined up to $2,500 for endangering the safety of the other passengers. For hurting the driver, he could be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000.
