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Road rage biker who punched through VW driver's window jailed three weeks
Published on Sep 29, 2014 2:29 PM
James George Palin, 33, British National was sentenced to 3 weeks' jail for cause hurt to Chiang Pak Chieh by using his right hand to break the driver window. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
By Elena Chong
SINGAPORE - A MOTORCYCLIST who punched and shattered the window of a Volkswagen in a road rage incident on Nov 16, was sentenced to three weeks' jail yesterday. But Briton James George Palin (right), 33, is appealing against the sentence and is out on $15,000 bail.
The former regional director of a recruitment company, riding on his motorcycle on Tanjong Katong Road, had hit the bumper of a car driven by legal officer Chiang Pak Chien while overtaking him.
Mr Chiang, 43, who was with his girlfriend, Valerie Tan Hsu Phen, 42, overtook Palin, who had not stopped his motorcycle. Palin sped past him again and braked immediately in front of the car.
Mr Chiang slammed on his brakes to avoid crashing into the motorcycle and told his girlfriend to call the police. This was when Palin walked over to the driver's side and punched the glass, which shattered over the couple.
Palin fled on his bike.
Both Mr Chiang and Ms Tan, who are now married, each suffered cuts on their body, face, neck, arms and legs, and were both given a week's outpatient leave. Ms Tan, who saw a psychiatrist, was diagnosed with acute stress disorder with severe anxiety. She avoids the Tanjong Katong stretch of road where the incident happened, and gets anxious and has palpitations when she sees "aggressive looking" motorcycles, according to a psychiatric report.
Palin's lawyer Shashi Nathan said his client claimed that the car had bumped into his motorcycle.
Palin regretted what he had done, and had offered to pay for the couple's medical expenses and for the damage to the car, an offer which they had turned down.
District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim said Palin's reaction was excessive and totally disproportionate, and agreed with the prosecution that there should be a jail term. Palin could have been jailed for up to one year and fined up to $5,000 for causing hurt by doing a rash act to endanger the personal safety of others.
The video of the road rage incident on Tanjong Katong Road that landed a Briton a jail sentence has surfaced on citizen journalism site Stomp.
James George Palin was sentenced to three weeks' jail for punching through the window of a Volkswagen in a road rage incident on Nov 16, 2013.
The episode was captured on the car camera of the Volkswagen driver Chiang Pak Chien. In the video, a loud noise of glass smashing can be heard moments after Palin stops his motorcycle and approaches the car. Palin also began using expletives on Mr Chiang.
The Briton is appealing against his sentence and is out on $15,000 bail.
James George Palin, 33, British National was sentenced to 3 weeks' jail for cause hurt to Chiang Pak Chieh by using his right hand to break the driver window. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
A district judge made it clear that road hooliganism must never be tolerated, in condemning the conduct of a motorcyclist who traumatised a couple in a road rage case.
District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim, who had sentenced motorcyclist James Palin to three weeks' jail on Oct 28, stated this in judgment grounds released early this month after the Briton filed an appeal against the decision.
Palin, 33, a former regional director of a recruitment firm, punched the window of a Volkswagen car in Tanjong Katong Road in November last year, shattering the glass, which cut the couple inside.
The spat started when Palin hit the bumper of the car driven by Chiang Pak Chien, 43, while overtaking him.
Mr Chiang then overtook Palin, who sped past him again and braked immediately in front of the car. Mr Chiang braked to avoid crashing into the motorcycle.
Palin then walked over to the driver's side and punched the car window. The shattered glass cut Mr Chiang and his wife, Valerie Tan, 42.
She screamed and Palin left on his motorcycle. Ms Tan and her husband both suffered cuts on their bodies and faces.
More significant were the post-traumatic stress disorder injuries suffered by Ms Tan, which included insomnia, panic anxiety and poor appetite, according to psychiatric reports.
Explaining her decision, the judge said "those persons who resort to violence because they were unhappy with other road users who cross their path must bear the full brunt of the law".
Even if what Mr Chiang did was a "tad inconsiderate", Palin's rash reaction in punching the car window and endangering those in the vehicle was excessive, she aded.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Koh Huimin had sought more than three weeks' jail while Palin's lawyer, Shashi Nathan, urged that a fine be imposed instead as Palin was genuinely remorseful and a first-time offender.
Palin also offered to pay the couple's medical expenses, but they declined.
However, the judge pointed out that Palin "just rode away" after the incident and offered no help.
"The expression of remorse being genuine sounded hollow in the light of what has happened, and it appeared to me that it was just a standard, run-of-the-mill mitigating factor added for good measure and nothing more," said the judge, adding that she had exercised "some leniency" in jailing Palin three weeks.
Palin has withdrawn his appeal and began his jail term on Nov 7.
