SINGAPORE: A man who claimed he drove off with his lover’s husband on the bonnet of his car because he was scared of the other man was convicted on Tuesday (Mar 10), after District Judge Ong Luan Tze called his actions an unreasonable response, despite the situation.
Chia Hiok Seah, a 50-year-old Singaporean, was in his car at a multi-storey car park in Sengkang in the wee hours of Jun 29, 2024, with a married woman.
The pair was nude when the woman's husband at the time, Mr Goh Yong Sern, appeared at the car park at Block 278, Compassvale Bow at about 2am.
Laying out their case, the prosecution said Mr Goh found the car and tried to open its doors but failed, then later climbed onto the bonnet to prevent Chia and his then-wife from leaving.
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District Judge Ong said she appreciated that Chia and the woman would have wanted to get out of the situation as quickly as possible, but added that "this did not give them leeway to do whatever they wanted".
Pointing out that the car doors were locked, the judge noted that there was no immediate danger of the victim gaining access to the car.
Both Chia and the woman had their phones with them and could have called for help. Or they could have honked for help since they were in the middle of a residential estate, she added.
“They did not do any of these things. Instead, their first response was to drive off while the victim was on the bonnet,” said District Judge Ong.
“I could not accept that this was a reasonable response on the part of the accused to drive off without having attempted to try anything else first, and certainly not to drive all the way out of the car park.”
Chia had claimed trial after he was accused of a rash act endangering human life by driving his car away with Mr Goh on the front bonnet, causing him to fall and sustain injuries, including a facial laceration and abrasions.
The prosecution cited video footage taken by victim that captures him climbing onto the bonnet, and Chia driving the car out of the car park with him on it. The victim can be heard saying, “You are dead, I tell you”.
Chia also pleaded guilty on Tuesday to his second charge for appearing nude in his car while in the public car park.
When he took the stand in 2025, Chia told the court that he had gone for dinner with the woman, whom he called Shunyi in his testimony, with their friends.
"So initially I as usual actually dropped her at (her) place downstairs," said Chia. "However, I think, erm... yeah. We actually then (went) up to the multi-storey carpark, have some intimacy acts."
"After that, we (were) actually chatting inside the car, but not dressed up."
Chia then clarified that the "intimacy acts" did not involve "anything sexual" as Shunyi was menstruating that day.
When asked by his lawyer, Mr Luke Anton Netto from Netto & Magin, to describe how they were seated in the car, Chia said "the whole session (was) not very long". While "chatting", he was in the driver's seat, while Shunyi was leaning against the dashboard, facing him, the court previously heard.
"We park at the washing bay area, because we really don't have intention to stay so long," said Chia.
Shunyi spotted some lights, and Chia thought it could be another vehicle, he testified at the time.
“I didn't, actually, in my mind think of anything much. Until we started hearing the banging sound, she quickly ducked herself into the passenger seat. That is when she started screaming."
Chia said Shunyi screamed and asked him to "quickly please protect" her and "quickly get out of this place".
"Then that time, I was still in a shocked state, whereby - what's happening? Because in my mind, it never crossed my mind it's Gordon in the first place," said Chia, referring to Shunyi's husband at the time.
"Then I lean forward and see, and to my astonishment, is Gordon," said Chia.
He said the man was banging hard and trying to break into the car.
"And I looked into his face, he was red," exclaimed Chia. "He was, that kind of anger – is trying to kill someone, and it reminded me that he will do something harmful to me. Absolutely, definitely, if by any (way) he can enter, or also harm Shunyi."
He said if his car had not been locked, Gordon could have dragged Shunyi outside, "or worse thing can happen".
"So I was very concerned," said Chia. "Is my car locked? Or is he able to smash into window and do all the killing to us? I was very panicked, and the moment in my mind, Shunyi ask me to protect her, want to get out of this place."
"I knew I cannot face this man," said Chia, describing Gordon as "bizarre".
"True enough when I (was) about to leave, he actually jumped onto my bonnet," he said. "You can imagine, his face is so anger, unlike what you see on the video clip. He was smashing hard on the windscreen with his body, trying to break open."
Chia continued: "I was actually so afraid at that time. We are not protected at all, not even our clothings. So the windscreen is the barrier only, between him and us. So I can't imagine if he actually manage to break open, I think the injury will be worse."
Chia said he reversed his car, with the victim on his bonnet banging on his windscreen with one fist and holding his phone in the other.
The victim was trying to pull out his wiper, Chia claimed.
At the gantry exit, Chia said he stopped the car as he realised the victim was not going to alight voluntarily and that if he did anything more, he would be "more injured".
While this was going on, Shunyi was screaming.
"I did ask who is the person is it Gordon, and she said yes," said Chia. "She said please don't hurt him, and I said yes I will try not to."
In trying to explain his behaviour, Chia tried to rely on his history with Mr Goh to explain that he was scared of the man, District Judge Ong said in her judgement on Tuesday.
“However, I found nothing in the evidence to warrant any such fear from the accused. All the previous encounters with the victim were verbal and there was no violence involved,” she added.
Chia had submitted a record of all the WhatsApp messages between himself and Mr Goh from Jun 9, 2023 to Mar 4, 2024, before the incident took place.
Mr Goh sent a total of five messages, but none of them appeared to have particularly scared Chia, said the judge, noting that his replies were “calm and insulting”.
The judge instead found that Chia was not afraid of the victim, citing another video he recorded, where he can be heard responding calmly to Mr Goh’s verbal abuse, even scolding him for not helping the woman with her things.
In the video recorded by Mr Goh during the incident, Chia appeared calm and collected as he drove the car away while the former was on its bonnet, the judge added.
“He did not even appear to have made any gesture to try and get the victim off the bonnet first before driving off,” said District Judge Ong in her written judgement.
Chia knew there was a real risk that driving the car while Mr Goh was on its bonnet would endanger the latter’s life, and it was unreasonable for him to have taken that risk, she added.
He is set to return to court for mitigation and sentencing on Apr 6.
For a rash act endangering human life, Chia can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
For appearing nude in public, he can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.
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Chia Hiok Seah, a 50-year-old Singaporean, was in his car at a multi-storey car park in Sengkang in the wee hours of Jun 29, 2024, with a married woman.
The pair was nude when the woman's husband at the time, Mr Goh Yong Sern, appeared at the car park at Block 278, Compassvale Bow at about 2am.
Laying out their case, the prosecution said Mr Goh found the car and tried to open its doors but failed, then later climbed onto the bonnet to prevent Chia and his then-wife from leaving.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
District Judge Ong said she appreciated that Chia and the woman would have wanted to get out of the situation as quickly as possible, but added that "this did not give them leeway to do whatever they wanted".
Pointing out that the car doors were locked, the judge noted that there was no immediate danger of the victim gaining access to the car.
Both Chia and the woman had their phones with them and could have called for help. Or they could have honked for help since they were in the middle of a residential estate, she added.
“They did not do any of these things. Instead, their first response was to drive off while the victim was on the bonnet,” said District Judge Ong.
“I could not accept that this was a reasonable response on the part of the accused to drive off without having attempted to try anything else first, and certainly not to drive all the way out of the car park.”
Chia had claimed trial after he was accused of a rash act endangering human life by driving his car away with Mr Goh on the front bonnet, causing him to fall and sustain injuries, including a facial laceration and abrasions.
The prosecution cited video footage taken by victim that captures him climbing onto the bonnet, and Chia driving the car out of the car park with him on it. The victim can be heard saying, “You are dead, I tell you”.
Chia also pleaded guilty on Tuesday to his second charge for appearing nude in his car while in the public car park.
WHAT HAPPENED
When he took the stand in 2025, Chia told the court that he had gone for dinner with the woman, whom he called Shunyi in his testimony, with their friends.
"So initially I as usual actually dropped her at (her) place downstairs," said Chia. "However, I think, erm... yeah. We actually then (went) up to the multi-storey carpark, have some intimacy acts."
"After that, we (were) actually chatting inside the car, but not dressed up."
Chia then clarified that the "intimacy acts" did not involve "anything sexual" as Shunyi was menstruating that day.
When asked by his lawyer, Mr Luke Anton Netto from Netto & Magin, to describe how they were seated in the car, Chia said "the whole session (was) not very long". While "chatting", he was in the driver's seat, while Shunyi was leaning against the dashboard, facing him, the court previously heard.
"We park at the washing bay area, because we really don't have intention to stay so long," said Chia.
Shunyi spotted some lights, and Chia thought it could be another vehicle, he testified at the time.
“I didn't, actually, in my mind think of anything much. Until we started hearing the banging sound, she quickly ducked herself into the passenger seat. That is when she started screaming."
Chia said Shunyi screamed and asked him to "quickly please protect" her and "quickly get out of this place".
"Then that time, I was still in a shocked state, whereby - what's happening? Because in my mind, it never crossed my mind it's Gordon in the first place," said Chia, referring to Shunyi's husband at the time.
"Then I lean forward and see, and to my astonishment, is Gordon," said Chia.
He said the man was banging hard and trying to break into the car.
"And I looked into his face, he was red," exclaimed Chia. "He was, that kind of anger – is trying to kill someone, and it reminded me that he will do something harmful to me. Absolutely, definitely, if by any (way) he can enter, or also harm Shunyi."
He said if his car had not been locked, Gordon could have dragged Shunyi outside, "or worse thing can happen".
"So I was very concerned," said Chia. "Is my car locked? Or is he able to smash into window and do all the killing to us? I was very panicked, and the moment in my mind, Shunyi ask me to protect her, want to get out of this place."
"I knew I cannot face this man," said Chia, describing Gordon as "bizarre".
"True enough when I (was) about to leave, he actually jumped onto my bonnet," he said. "You can imagine, his face is so anger, unlike what you see on the video clip. He was smashing hard on the windscreen with his body, trying to break open."
Chia continued: "I was actually so afraid at that time. We are not protected at all, not even our clothings. So the windscreen is the barrier only, between him and us. So I can't imagine if he actually manage to break open, I think the injury will be worse."
Chia said he reversed his car, with the victim on his bonnet banging on his windscreen with one fist and holding his phone in the other.
The victim was trying to pull out his wiper, Chia claimed.
At the gantry exit, Chia said he stopped the car as he realised the victim was not going to alight voluntarily and that if he did anything more, he would be "more injured".
While this was going on, Shunyi was screaming.
"I did ask who is the person is it Gordon, and she said yes," said Chia. "She said please don't hurt him, and I said yes I will try not to."
In trying to explain his behaviour, Chia tried to rely on his history with Mr Goh to explain that he was scared of the man, District Judge Ong said in her judgement on Tuesday.
“However, I found nothing in the evidence to warrant any such fear from the accused. All the previous encounters with the victim were verbal and there was no violence involved,” she added.
Chia had submitted a record of all the WhatsApp messages between himself and Mr Goh from Jun 9, 2023 to Mar 4, 2024, before the incident took place.
Mr Goh sent a total of five messages, but none of them appeared to have particularly scared Chia, said the judge, noting that his replies were “calm and insulting”.
The judge instead found that Chia was not afraid of the victim, citing another video he recorded, where he can be heard responding calmly to Mr Goh’s verbal abuse, even scolding him for not helping the woman with her things.
In the video recorded by Mr Goh during the incident, Chia appeared calm and collected as he drove the car away while the former was on its bonnet, the judge added.
“He did not even appear to have made any gesture to try and get the victim off the bonnet first before driving off,” said District Judge Ong in her written judgement.
Chia knew there was a real risk that driving the car while Mr Goh was on its bonnet would endanger the latter’s life, and it was unreasonable for him to have taken that risk, she added.
He is set to return to court for mitigation and sentencing on Apr 6.
For a rash act endangering human life, Chia can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
For appearing nude in public, he can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.
Continue reading...