SINGAPORE: A food delivery rider punched a cleaner's cheek, loosening her teeth, after arguing with her over entering a toilet she was cleaning at the time.
Wee Hai Heng, 60, was fined S$2,000 (US$1,477) by a court on Monday (Jun 26) for one count of voluntarily causing hurt.
He said he cannot pay the fine. If so, he will have to serve a week's jail in default.
The court heard that the victim, a 48-year-old cleaner, went to the men's toilet at Punggol Plaza on Mar 19 this year to clean it.
The Chinese national placed a no-entry sign at the washroom but at about 1.30pm that day, Wee entered the toilet to relieve himself.
The cleaner was unhappy as Wee had ignored the sign. She began to nag him, and a dispute broke out between the pair.
Wee walked to the sign and kicked it, before punching the woman on her left cheek.
Another man heard the commotion and stood in between the pair to stop the fight. He called the police.
When officers arrived, the victim complained of pain in her cheek and the back of her neck. She was taken to hospital, where the doctor noted she had loose teeth.
Wee, who was unrepresented, admitted that he had done wrong. He said he had no means to pay a fine and asked for leniency for a short in-default sentence.
He claimed that the victim had also injured him, but the prosecutor said this was not borne out in investigations and that it was also not in Wee's statement to the police.
Wee later said he just wanted the matter to conclude and did not want it to drag on.
In sentencing, the judge said that the fact that the victim had loose teeth showed that significant force was used over a trivial matter.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Wee could have been sentenced to up to three years' jail, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
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Wee Hai Heng, 60, was fined S$2,000 (US$1,477) by a court on Monday (Jun 26) for one count of voluntarily causing hurt.
He said he cannot pay the fine. If so, he will have to serve a week's jail in default.
The court heard that the victim, a 48-year-old cleaner, went to the men's toilet at Punggol Plaza on Mar 19 this year to clean it.
The Chinese national placed a no-entry sign at the washroom but at about 1.30pm that day, Wee entered the toilet to relieve himself.
The cleaner was unhappy as Wee had ignored the sign. She began to nag him, and a dispute broke out between the pair.
Wee walked to the sign and kicked it, before punching the woman on her left cheek.
Another man heard the commotion and stood in between the pair to stop the fight. He called the police.
When officers arrived, the victim complained of pain in her cheek and the back of her neck. She was taken to hospital, where the doctor noted she had loose teeth.
Wee, who was unrepresented, admitted that he had done wrong. He said he had no means to pay a fine and asked for leniency for a short in-default sentence.
He claimed that the victim had also injured him, but the prosecutor said this was not borne out in investigations and that it was also not in Wee's statement to the police.
Wee later said he just wanted the matter to conclude and did not want it to drag on.
In sentencing, the judge said that the fact that the victim had loose teeth showed that significant force was used over a trivial matter.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Wee could have been sentenced to up to three years' jail, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
Continue reading...