SINGAPORE: While out with his cousin and friends, a 24-year-old man received a text message from his sister saying that their mother was drunk and that "someone wanted to beat her".
Upon hearing this, Oh Zhi Xiang headed to a coffee shop where his mother had been drinking and attacked four men, aided by his cousin Chua Wei Kiat, 27.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIt emerged later that there was no actual threat to Oh's mother.
For voluntarily causing hurt to the men aged between 45 and 65, Oh and Chua were fined S$5,000 and S$4,000, respectively, on Thursday (Jun 6).
Oh's mother intends to pay the fines, the court heard.
The court heard that Oh was with Chua and two friends on May 1 last year when Oh received a text from his sister.
AdvertisementAdvertisementShe said their mother was drunk and that someone wanted to beat her, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Delicia Tan.
The cousins and their two friends headed to the coffee shop at Block 27 Bendemeer Road, arriving at about 8.55pm.
After speaking to his mother, Oh joined Chua in approaching the four victims and an argument ensued.
The cousins grabbed beer bottles that were nearby and smashed them on a table before throwing the broken bottles at the four victims and punching them repeatedly.
The incident was captured on closed-circuit television cameras.
The victims suffered injuries ranging from swelling, bruising and a fracture.
The prosecution asked for a high fine for the cousins, saying that they had broken glass bottles and thrown them. They had also brought two friends with them to the fight, which broke out in a crowded coffee shop.
SENSELESS ATTACK: PROSECUTOR
This was "a senseless attack" as "no one was assaulting" Oh's mother, said the prosecutor.
Defence lawyer Harbajan Singh Karpal Singh, who represented both cousins, said neither man had violence-related previous convictions.
"This is an unfortunate case," he said, as the people involved knew each other and lived in the same area.
The cousins had gone to the coffee shop as they cared for Oh's mother, he said.
"The natural thing would be to call the police," said the lawyer. "I would have."
However, the cousins were young and inexperienced in handling such situations, he said.
"They now see the picture, they apologise," he added.
District Judge Marvin Bay said the pair were driven by a misguided desire to seek revenge for Oh's mother, and told them to count themselves fortunate that the prosecution had not proceeded with a more serious charge.
Three of the victims who returned blows are facing court proceedings, while one of the cousins' friends has been dealt with for affray.
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