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Man jailed for brawl in toilet
Mr Soh Hun Seng, a grave caretaker at the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery
Chai Hung Yin
The New Paper
Sunday, Dec 29, 2013
SINGAPORE - A taxi driver was urinating in the toilet with the door open, when another man told him he should have closed the door.
The comment sparked off a fight which left the cabby with injuries to his arm, knee and nose.
Yesterday, Soh Hun Seng, 59, a caretaker at the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery, was jailed seven months for voluntarily causing hurt.
He had hit Mr Gan Wee Beng with a metal broom handle and fractured his left arm.
Another similar charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.
A district court heard that on Feb 4 last year, Soh had been drinking alcohol at a coffee shop in Potong Pasir, since 5am.
At about 9am, Mr Gan, 56, went to the coffee shop with his wife, Madam Kong Lai Fun, 52.
When the cabby went to relieve himself, he did so without closing the door. When Soh told him he should have closed the door in case a woman walked past, Mr Gan replied that it was a men's toilet and no woman should be inside.
That started the argument.
On hearing the commotion, Madam Kong and Soh's friend, Mr Chio Boon Hean, 63, headed towards the toilet.
They got there just in time to see Soh charging at Mr Gan with a beer bottle and a metal broom handle.
Madam Kong stepped between them and used her hands to block Soh.
The caretaker, who was already intoxicated and unsteady, fell to the floor.
When Mr Gan picked up a metal stool to defend himself and his wife, Mr Chio grabbed him from behind, causing him to fall.
Soh then threw the beer bottle at him, hitting his head, and also hit his left arm with the broom handle.
An unknown man then joined in and punched Mr Gan on the nose.
Soh and Mr Chio then chased Mr Gan around the carpark near the coffee shop until someone called the police.
Mr Gan was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital with lacerations to his head and knee, as well as fractures on his left arm, a knee joint and nasal bone.
The police arrested Mr Chio on Feb 9 last year and Soh surrendered himself to the police on Feb 11.
WARNING
The police gave Mr Chio a stern warning for abetment in voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
The third attacker could not be identified.
During mitigation, Soh's lawyer, Mr Raymond Ng Yong Ern, said Mr Gan's brusque reply followed by a string of profanities had provoked Soh, which led to the quarrel and fight.
He said that when Soh fell, he thought he had been pushed by Madam Kong and retaliated.
Mr Ng also said that the incident was not premeditated and was over in a couple of minutes.
He added that Soh left the scene when someone shouted that Mr Gan's children were heading there.
Mr Ng also noted that his client had turned himself in and offered apologies and $5,000 as compensation to Mr Gan, which was rejected.
