SINGAPORE: After a night of drinking, a man tried to get a ride home for him and his friend but was unable to.
Out of frustration at the situation, he grabbed his friend and swung her to the concrete ground, causing a head injury that led to her death.
Jason Ong Bing Qi, a 33-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Dec 19) to one count of voluntarily causing hurt, where he had not intended to cause grievous hurt but had done so.
The court heard that Ong and the victim, a 33-year-old hairdresser known as Joey, were at Club VOX at Central Mall in Clarke Quay on the night of Nov 5, 2022.
When they left the club sometime after 1am on Nov 6, Ong offered to book a ride for them to his place but was unable to get one.
He knew Joey was drunk as she was dragging her feet and mumbling.
It was drizzling at the time. They had no luck flagging down a cab or getting one at a taxi stand.
Joey was already leaning heavily against Ong. She suddenly sat on the ground and later squatted down, refusing to get up.
Frustrated and angry, Ong threw Joey’s phone on a grass patch.
He later apologised but she pushed him away and repeatedly refused his offer to take her home.
Ong became frustrated with the situation and suddenly grabbed Joey on each side of her upper arms, swinging her body onto the ground forcefully.
PASSERS-BY STEPPED IN
The woman, who weighed 51kg and was 164cm tall, landed on her back and stopped moving.
Ong did not check on her and walked back to the club.
About half an hour later, passers-by found Joey lying on the ground and took her to a sheltered walkway.
At one point, one of Joey’s friends who had been at the club with her called on the phone. One of the passers-by, who was a Grab driver, spoke to Joey’s friend and agreed to ferry her home for S$50.
During the journey, the driver stayed on the call and took Joey up to the flat at her friend’s insistence.
Joey’s husband returned home at around 3.30am and heard her snoring on the bed.
The next morning, Joey’s husband left for lunch at about 12.30pm, after observing his sleeping wife to be still snoring.
However, when he returned home at about 3pm, he realised that her body was cold to the touch and her eyes were open.
THE VICTIM’S DEATH
The husband called 995 and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her as instructed by the phone operator, but Joey was pronounced dead by paramedics that same day.
An autopsy found bleeding on her scalp, a fracture on her skull, a bruise on her brain, multiple blood clots in her head and a fractured rib.
She was certified to have died of a head injury.
Closed-circuit television footage at the rear entrance of the club facing Merchant Road captured the altercation where Ong had swung Joey’s body with force.
“The accused swung the deceased so forcefully that it caused the deceased’s body to flip over during mid-fall, and the accused himself was caught off-balance and landed on his knees,” said the prosecutor.
Ong went to Bangkok on Nov 8, 2022, after receiving calls from his friends and the police about his involvement with Joey.
He said he left Singapore because he felt “stressed out” after getting those calls and wanted to leave the country for a few days to clear his mind.
He was arrested on Nov 11, 2022, when he returned to Singapore.
He admitted during investigations that he had swung Joey’s body as he was “frustrated with the situation” and that he had used too much strength.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh asked for 36 to 42 months’ jail, saying the victim was vulnerable because of her intoxication and smaller stature.
He will return to court for sentencing in January.