4 youths who attacked off-duty cop plead guilty

[MarrickG]

BIRTHDAY celebration in a Bencoolen Street restaurant last December became a free-for-all fistfight, with seven youths assaulting an off-duty police officer.

The victim, aged 24, had identified himself as a police officer and scrambled back to his table to get his warrant card from his bag, but his attackers were undeterred.

The seven fled only when someone else yelled “Police!”

The officer, Sergeant Muhd Alfian Roslan, came out from the melee with bruises and a chipped tooth.

Yesterday, four of the seven youths pleaded guilty to being part of an unlawful assembly. They are Desmond Lee Soon Kiat and Chua Lian Heng, both 16; and Godfrey Howe Ze Wei and the birthday boy, Tan Ru Seng, both 20.

They are out on bail of $10,000 each.

The remaining three members of the group have not been dealt with yet.

District Judge Roy Neighbour asked for pre-sentence reports on the four to gauge their suitability for probation or reformative training. They will be sentenced on June 24.

The court heard that the group marked Tan’s 20th birthday on the evening of Dec 14, and were at Al-Jilani restaurant for supper in the early hours of the following day.

Sgt Muhd Alfian was having a meal with his girlfriend in the smoking section of the restaurant when one of the youths’ girlfriends started vomiting nearby.

Howe, who was with her, became angry when Sgt Muhd Alfian suggested taking her away. A row erupted between the two men.

Concerned for the safety of his girlfriend, the off-duty police officer stood up and was attacked by Howe’s group.

Lawyers for the four offenders told the court that the assault was an unfortunate incident that marred a happy occasion.

Lee’s lawyer Josephus Tan asked for probation to be granted so that his client would not spend part of his formative years behind bars.

Howe’s lawyer Tan Siew Kim pointed out that no weapons were used and that there were no secret society connections; she also noted that Sgt Muhd Alfian was not seriously injured.

A member of an unlawful assembly may be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to $10,000.