SINGAPORE: A man who permanently injured his colleague while massaging him was fined S$ 3, 000 ( US$ 2, 230 ) on Monday ( Jan 27 ).  ,
Ng Jian Ye Eugene, 32, admitted to causing severe harm as a result of an omission that endangered some ‘ personal protection. The victim’s throat was twisted, causing him to sputter or pressure during a phone call at their place of employment.  ,
Mr. Suang Wijaya and Mr. Hamza Malik from Eugene Thuraisingam LLP noted that he had represented Singapore in Wushu in his prevention appeal. He received instruction from his coach in sports massage, and he also practices Muay Thai and massage for his friends and coworkers often.  ,
The defense claimed that” these treatments are intended to and had helped his colleagues and friends with their discomfort, pain, and muscle symptoms.”  ,
On November 11, 2022, Ng approached the prey from behind while the victim was using a microphone to speak to a client on the phone in the office.  ,
He placed one finger on the top of the victim’s mind and the other on the victim’s neck, and then twisted the victim’s chest once in a circular path and once in an anti-clockwise way.
Ng had massaged the victim several days at the latter’s request, and had massaged him in” the regular way” on the day of the event, the army claimed.  ,
Since the victim, 31, was on a call, he did not react and Ng walked away.  ,
The victim later complained of discomfort in his neck after the call ended, so he went to a clinic later that evening. There, he was diagnosed with a sprained neck and given five days of medical leave.  ,
The victim was directed to have an MRI scan on November 16, 2022, which revealed several levels of disc desiccation. He continued to feel pain in his neck.  ,
Disc desiccation is the gradual loss of hydration, or water, from an intervertebral disc in the spine.  ,
On November 24, 2022, the victim consulted an orthopaedic surgeon who determined that he had suffered a cervical sprain or strain. Additionally, the doctor determined that the victim did not have pre-existing conditions and gave him a hospitalization leave until Jan. 25, 2024.  ,
The victim informed the human resources department of their employer about the incident, and the department said they would treat their report as an accident at work, which might allow him to receive compensation from the Ministry of Manpower ( MOM) for the cost of his medical treatment.  ,
The company, TDCX, objected to an assessment that , the victim had sustained a permanent incapacity. The Work Injury Compensation Board finalized the assessment of” 15 per cent permanent incapacity” in September 2023 after MOM referred him to a specialist panel.  ,
On December 8 of that year, the victim reported to the police.  ,
The defense referred to a letter from a mutual friend who met the victim a month after the incident as a reassuring factor. In her testimony, she claimed that the victim “acted completely normally” and “did not show any signs of distress”.  ,
The defence noted that this was a more superficial observation, but stressed that” contemporaneous” observation should be taken into account.  ,
Due to the unsigned and undated nature of the document, Deputy Public Prosecutor Melissa Heng urged the court to not give weight to the letter from this testimony.  ,
She continued, stating that this does not constitute proof that the victim was actually not in any distress or pain at the time. The medical report provided the most reliable information regarding the victim’s injuries.  ,
Even though Ng had massaged coworkers or people close to him, he was still a novice masseuse, according to Ms Heng, who added that the workplace is not a place for a proper massage.  ,
Up to two years in prison, a fine of up to S$ 5, 000, or both are the penalties for causing grievous harm to anyone for a negligent act.