SINGAPORE: A driver who shoved a security guard directing traffic at United Square Shopping Mall, causing him to fall backwards and fracture his wrist, was jailed for six weeks on Monday (Aug 28).
Wang Lin, a 42-year-old Singapore permanent resident from China, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to Mr Prakash Govindan Damodaran.
The court heard that Wang was in his BMW X5 car on Nov 6, 2021 and heading towards a taxi drop-off point outside United Square mall.
The 56-year-old victim was standing on a chevron lane directing traffic when he gestured to Wang to stop. He told Wang he was not permitted to enter the lane for taxis, and that he could drive into the mall – which had a 30-minute free parking grace period – to pick up his passengers.
Wang was unhappy and swerved past the victim before stopping his car and getting out to confront the security guard.
He shoved the victim with both hands, and the latter fell on his back.
Wang was pulled away by his wife, who was waiting to be picked up along with her child, and they drove away.
The incident was captured on closed-circuit television camera footage and played in court.
The victim lodged a police report that same day. He sought medical treatment a few times and was eventually diagnosed as suffering a wrist fracture and ligament injury to his thumb.
He later had a thumb splint put in and went for rehabilitative therapy.
The prosecutor sought at least six weeks’ jail, saying Wang was the “outright aggressor” who had “reacted disproportionately” to the victim’s raised voice.
After being stopped from picking up his passenger, Wang “displayed thuggish behaviour in broad daylight by initiating confrontation with the victim, who was but controlling traffic at the time”, said the prosecutor.
ACCUSED SUFFERED TRAUMA, AGONY: DEFENCE
Defence lawyer S S Dhillon asked for four weeks’ jail instead for his client Wang, who worked with BlackRock Asset Management before switching to Randstad.
Mr Dhillon asked the prosecution to replay the videos and pointed out Wang was trying to help his wife and young child board the car with a stroller.
As it was raining at the time, Wang was anxious to stop along the sheltered portion of the mall.
The lawyer said that footage showed another vehicle dropping someone off, so what his client did was “nothing unusual”.
Mr Dhillon claimed the security guard had shouted at Wang and gestured at him, hitting the front of his vehicle at one point.
“I would like to impress upon the court that he did not assault him literally. It was a push. Rainy day. The victim fell and sustained the injury,” he said.
Mr Dhillon said this incident was “a one-off aberration” and said his client was not “a criminally inclined person”. He flagged Wang’s charity work and donations to developing countries.
The lawyer said his client had suffered “tremendous trauma and agony” over this incident.
“No doubt the victim has suffered physical injuries, but the negative publicity has completely paralysed the accused, as he has been demonised as a rich and powerful foreign brat,” said Mr Dhillon.
He also claimed that the incident left his client suffering from psychotic symptoms which meet the criteria for schizophrenia.
In response, the prosecutor said the claim that the victim had hit Wang’s bonnet was “not borne out in investigation”. In fact, court documents stated that no damage was caused to Wang’s car.
The decision to post about the incident online, which led to Wang being ridiculed on Facebook, was made by the victim’s union, said the prosecutor.
The judge noted that being anxious to pick up his wife in the rain was “not an established mitigating factor in the law” and imposed the sentence sought by the prosecution.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Wang could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.