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E-bike rider jailed 5 weeks for beating up elderly pedestrian

SINGAPORE — A 63-year-old welder, who beat a red light on his e-bike before repeatedly punching the man he almost crashed into, was sentenced to five weeks' jail on Wednesday (May 2).

Yue Kim Ming, seen at the State Courts in June last year.

Yue Kim Ming, seen at the State Courts in June last year.

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SINGAPORE — A 63-year-old welder, who beat a red light on his e-bike before repeatedly punching the man he almost crashed into, was sentenced to five weeks' jail on Wednesday (May 2).

Yue Kim Ming was convicted of one count of endangering the personal safety of Mr Chang Yong Peo, 69, and his wife Kei Kwee Siang by committing a rash act, as well as another count of voluntarily causing hurt to Mr Chang.

The court heard that on May 18 last year, at about 9.26pm, Mr Chang and Madam Kei were on their way home. They were crossing the pedestrian crossing at the junction along Hougang Avenue 7, when Yue approached them on his e-bike at a speed of about 30 to 40 km/h.

Even though the traffic lights were not in Yue's favour, he sounded his horn repeatedly at the elderly couple to let him pass, before speeding past them.

Mr Chang raised his hands out of reflex to prevent the plastic bag he was holding from hitting the e-biker, who narrowly missed hitting the couple.

Then, Yue got off his e-bike and began shouting at Mr Chang, claiming that he had hit him. Puzzled by his actions, Mr Chang asked him what his problem was.

Yue then started punching Mr Chang on his face and chest, causing him to fall to the ground. Yue continued to punch him, and Mr Chang's efforts to prevent further assault by using his hands to cover his face failed. Mdm Kei also tried to intervene, but Yue pulled her away.

Two passers-by subsequently came to their aid and managed to separate Yue from Mr Chang.

Following that, they also tried to stop Yue from fleeing the scene on his e-bike, but failed. One of them got into his car and chased Yue, but eventually lost him.

When the police and ambulance arrived, Mr Chang was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He was examined the next morning and found to have sustained swelling, a superficial cut and pain in his upper chest.

While Mr Chang also underwent heart surgery, the hospital said it was due to his existing heart problem, and was not medically related to the assault. Mr Chang was eventually discharged on May 22 and given 35 days' medical leave.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua asked for seven weeks' imprisonment, calling the attack "persistent and violent", while defence lawyer Sarbrinder Singh asked for a fine or a short jail.

In mitigation, Mr Singh said Yue had offered to pay for Mr Chang's medical bills, provide a letter of apology and pay S$1,000 in compensation. However, he said the compensation was rejected and the medical bills were not related to the assault.

For voluntarily hurting Mr Chang, Yue could have been jailed for up to two years and fined. For committing a rash act, he could also have been jailed for a maximum of six months and fined up to S$2,500.

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