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THERE was an empty lot in the carpark.
And his father, who had just driven in, wanted that spot.
But another car was in his way.
What followed was a blast of car horns and an exchange of angry words.
The driver’s son, Teo Eu Gene, claimed that Madam Juliet Tan Whye Peck, 47, who was driving the other car, called his family “low-class people”.
It stung so much that Teo, 34, a manager, jumped out of the passenger seat at the back of the car and charged at Madam Tan, and kicked her on her back.
She fell to the ground.
Teo then punched her face more than once.
Madam Tan’s injuries included bruises on the right side of her face and left hand, haemorrhage in her right eye and an abrasion on her right knee.
She was hospitalised for a day and given 16 days of medical leave.
In May, Teo pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt and was sentenced to four weeks’ jail. One similar charge was taken into consideration in sentencing.
Appeal
He lodged an appeal against the sentence and was released on bail of $10,000.
His appeal, in which he is represented by lawyer Josephus Tan, will be heard today.
The incident happened around 9.30pm on Aug 2 last year.
Madam Tan had driven into the carpark of the Chinese Swimming Club to pick up her husband, who had gone there to swim.
She stopped her car in front of the vacant lot.
Teo’s father, who had just driven into the carpark, sounded his horn at her as he wanted to park in that lot.
Madam Tan did not budge.
So Teo’s father made a U-turn and drove nearer to her car.
And again, he sounded his horn.
As he did this, Madam Tan’s husband, Mr Mark Poh Eng Wah, appeared and she got out to let him take over the wheel.
Seeing Mr Teo gesturing at his wife and hearing the sounding of the horn, he approached Mr Teo to talk things out.
An argument broke out between the two men.
Hearing the commotion, a security guard rushed to the scene and advised Mr Teo to park his car before discussing the matter further.
While the security guard was speaking to Mr Teo, Madam Tan and her husband started to walk towards their car.
It was at this point that Madam Tan allegedly insulted the Teos.
And that was what triggered Teo’s violence, his then-lawyer, Mr Liaw Jin Poh, told the court.
Teo came out of his father’s car, ran towards Madam Tan and attacked her.
In his mitigation, Mr Liaw said that Teo’s father had been non-confrontational and it was Madam Tan and her husband who had “aggressively confronted” the Teos by “marching up to them”.
The couple had accused Mr Teo of being impatient.
The “continual uncalled-for abuse” caused Teo to lose his cool and composure, Mr Liaw said.
Written mitigation
In the written mitigation, the lawyer highlighted Teo’s good personal background.
Teo, who has no history of violence, had served as a regular in the Singapore navy for nine years.
In 1997, he was awarded the SAF Good Service Medal.
His offers of compensation and an apology were rejected by Madam Tan and her husband.
In sentencing him, District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan said the case arose from “a very trivial incident”.
“There was no accident and no one was injured. The accused was not even directly involved in the initial incident,” he noted.
While “the final straw that apparently broke the camel’s back for the accused was being called ‘low-class people’”, the prosecution had disputed the allegation that Madam Tan and her husband had made derogatory remarks, said the judge.
He added that even if he accepted that such remarks had been made, Teo’s reaction was “clearly disproportionate to the slight received”.
Judge Shaiffudin described it as a “relentless, cowardly attack” by a “fit, strapping young man” on a “defenceless lady”.
But he took into account Teo’s personal background, the fact that he was a first-time offender and that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Teo could have been jailed two years and fined $5,000.
