What was supposed to be a happy event of his new career and the new year turned ugly when a private-hire vehicle punched a coffee shop associate after a day out at a singing cafe.
The 38-year-old Asian male fell sideways and hit his head on the floor, sustaining bone fractures and head accidents. He was taken to a doctor where he passed away shortly afterward.
The aggressor, 55-year-old Singaporean Eng Chee Hong, pleaded guilty on Wednesday ( Oct 9 ) to one count each of causing hurt where the hurt turned out to be grievous, and drink driving while on bail for the first offence.
WHAT HAPPENED
The victim’s associate, Dao Van Chien, worked as a coffee stall attendant at Block 318, Jurong East Street 31, according to the court.
On Dec 31, 2023, Eng met his friends for dinner at the coffee store to observe New Year’s Eve.
The team, comprising more than 10 people across three chairs, were in high spirits and shared food and alcohol.
The victim and his partner sometimes exchanged drinks and verbalized each other at the coffee shop, but Eng.
The coffee purchase had shut down at around 10:30 p.m., so Eng’s team made the decision to travel to Jolo KTV in Yuan Ching Road.
The target and his partner were invited to join the party, and the celebration continued.
After midnight on January 1, 2024, Eng noticed that the victim was becoming more intoxicated, taking to the stage to dance, sing, and toast different people at furniture.
Eng instructed the sufferer to return to their tables because he was concerned that the defendant’s behavior might” trouble” his party.
The target complied and tried to appease Eng and shake his arms, but Eng was not serious.
Maybe after 12.30pm, Eng and some others left the KTV club.
The target spotted Eng at the sidewalk outside Sheng Siong Supermarket and said in Mandarin:” Brother, this sip alcohol”.
Eng gnawed at the victim because he was angry with the victim. As the target tried to hold Eng’s shoulder,  , Eng pushed his hands away and punched his face again.
The victim fell forward and struck the back of his head on the concrete surface as a result of the force of the blow.
Eng witnessed what transpired and briefly looked at the target before running away, as was captured on closed-circuit television images.
Instead of checking on the target, Eng left and met his companions at Balmoral Plaza for more coffee.
The victim’s partner saw the man lying on the floor, motionless and bleeding from the mouth. As the sufferer was choking on his own heart, he and another person assisted him in changing from his front to his back.
The victim was taken to a hospital soon after doctors arrived, but he passed away from a head injury on January 4.  ,
While Eng was under parole for this offense, he also admitted to driving while under the influence of alcohol on June 23. He was discovered to be intoxicated after drinking vodka with his associates at a restaurant in Prinsep Street. He was stopped at a policeman barrier.
SENTENCING Claims
The attorney sought three to three-and-a-half times ‘ prison, a great of S$ 3, 000 and a driving restrictions of 24 to 30 months.
She claimed that a young man who was Vietnam’s only child and wife was the only one who could feed them all died early.
Eng even has prior convictions from 1994 to 2012, which include attacking public servants, violence and deliberately causing hurt.
Speeding and careless driving are some of his prior prospects offenses, which he has committed between 2020 and 2023.
Doctors for Eng, Mr Choo Si Sen and Ms Choo Yean Lim from Tan Lee &, Partners, asked for a lower prison term.
They claimed that after being released from prison in November 2017, their customer turned over a novel plant.
Eng, a divorcee with a younger son, also cares for his chronically ill mother, according to the attorneys.
They explained that Eng had gone to the coffee shop to “celebrate his new job as a Grab vehicle as well as to usher in the year of 2024.”
Mr Choo said the sufferer was inebriated and behaving “disruptively” at the music club.
The bouncer at the club, thinking Eng was associates with the sufferer, asked Eng to guide the victim correctly, said the lawyer.
The accused did speak to and attempt to dissuade the victim from acting inappropriately, according to Mr. Choo, “in order to assist the bouncer and ( hoping ) to maintain peace and order at the karaoke.  ,
But, Eng claimed the sufferer was so intoxicated he could not fathom Eng’s tips.
The doctors said Eng felt “annoyed” when the sufferer tried to “hug” him and punched him on” the spur of the moment”.
They said Eng had left the scene “without knowing” whether the sufferer suffered a brain injury, which led to his fate.
The doctors said Eng’s prior convictions are dated, and that Eng and his own Asian woman helped raise money for the victim’s home, to pay for funeral expenses.
He will be sentenced tomorrow ( October 10 ).
He could be jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$ 10,000, or both for deliberately causing harm where the expected harm was not terrible but turned out to be thus.