A 55-year-old bus driver was handed a seven-day jail sentence for causing voluntary hurt to a cyclist over a lane dispute in Punggol East.
As a result of the altercation, the accused sustained minor injuries to his arms, while the cyclist suffered multiple injuries on his body.
Incident
According to court documents seen by Mothership, the incident occurred on Nov. 25, 2024 at about 6:41pm.
The driver, Khong Heng Chuen, was driving bus service 85 down the third and leftmost lane along Punggol East, before coming to a stop at a red light at the junction of Punggol East and Punggol Field Walk.
At the same time, the cyclist, 49-year-old Chia Meng Chiang rode down the same road between cars on the rightmost and middle lanes.
The bus and bicycle were separated by one car.
When the light turned green, both men moved their vehicles forward, but the cyclist made a sharp left lane change, cutting in front of the bus before positioning himself on the left side of the leftmost lane.
Shortly after, the bus driver caught up with the cyclist and pressed down on his horn continuously for 10 seconds.
Chia reacted by slowing down, which caused Khong to step on the emergency brake.
Chia then gestured at Khong and stopped his bicycle in the middle of the lane, directly in front of the bus.
Altercation
Thereafter, Chia walked over to the driver side window of the bus and verbally confronted Khong.
Khong responded in kind.
After about a minute, both men retrieved their phones from their respective vehicles, then reconvened at the driver side window and continued the argument.
Khong then told Chia to go to the left side of the bus and opened the front door.
He also began a video recording on his phone, pointing it at passengers and at Chia, who stood outside the front door and spoke to Khong.
In retaliation, Chia entered the bus and snatched Khong’s phone out of his hand, turned around and tried to press the phone screen, but was shouted at by Khong and grabbed by his neck.
A fight ensued between both men on the road, where Khong continuously told Chia not to take his phone and attempted to snatch it back.
Chia eventually dropped Khong’s phone onto the road, prompting the latter to throw him towards the kerb, slamming his chest on the concrete.
After standing back up, Chia attempted to kick Khong with his right leg, but Khong moved away, causing Chia to fall on him.
Khong then pinned Chia down on the concrete and requested a passerby to call the police.
However, Chia managed to free himself and ran to the grass verge next to the road.
Various passers-by also attempted to separate the two men.
The police was called at about 6:44pm.
Upon their arrival, Khong and Chia were sent to the emergency department of Sengkang General Hospital.
Injuries sustained
Both men sustained injuries as a result of the fight.
According to court documents, Khong suffered superficial abrasion and tenderness over his fingers and elbow, and he was placed on a mallet splint before being discharged with 14 days’ hospitalisation leave.
Chia suffered more serious injuries, including an acute lateral rib fracture, bleeding in the right eye, swelling on his scalp and bruises to his chest and big toe.
He was treated with painkillers and given three days of outpatient medical leave.
Prosecution
In court, the prosecution sought a short detention order (SDO) for Khong, who pleaded guilty to one charge of intentional assault.
While a typical road rage offence generally attracts a custodial sentence, an SDO was an appropriate sentence in the case as it was ultimately punitive, found to be an effective deterrence and gives weight to rehabilitation, said the prosecution.
Rehabilitation was also relevant for Khong as his culpability was low, the prosecution argued, adding that his offence was committed in the context of a fight with Chia and not premeditated.
Voluntarily causing hurt is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
Disturbing peace by fighting in public is also punishable with up to one year’s imprisonment, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
Top images via Google Maps & Mothership
