Reformative training for 20-year-old who assaulted man in Holland Villlage fight, drove car unlicensed and drunk

SINGAPORE — After 20-year-old Mathavan Kamachee Sundram received a text message from his friend that he had “an issue” with a fellow drinker at a Holland Village bar, Mathavan headed to the bar and beat the man up. 

Mathavan pleaded guilty on Monday (Nov 14) to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt, one charge of drink driving and another charge of driving without a valid licence. One other charge was taken into consideration. 

He was sentenced to at least six months' detention in a reformative training centre and was disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 30 months after he is released from detention. 

According to court documents, the incident happened on the evening of April 8 this year. The victim, Tony Zhang Xue Yi, and his friend, Gabriel Ng Chun Guan, were drinking at Kingz Bar at 27A Lorong Mambong. 

While at the bar, Mr Ng accidentally bumped into Mathavan’s friend, who took offence as he thought it was intentional. 

Mathavan’s friend, who is a 17-year-old, cannot be named as he is protected under the Children and Young Persons Act. 

The teenager then asked Mr Ng to meet him outside the bar and he agreed to do so. 

Outside, they had a heated discussion but were unable to reach a consensus so both of them returned to the bar to continue drinking. 

At around 10pm, Mathavan received a text message from his friend saying that he had “an issue with a Chinese guy at Holland Village”.

Upon seeing the text, Mathavan went down to Holland Village together with another friend. Mathavan’s friend also called four other friends, one of whom was named Kishan Chandrasegaran. 

When Kishan and the three others arrived at 11pm, one of the friends attempted to mediate the dispute between Mr Ng and Mathavan’s friend. 

Around half an hour later, the two managed to resolve the conflict after Mr Ng apologised to Mathavan’s friend and the latter accepted the former’s apology. 

Shortly after the dispute was resolved, Mathavan and his friend arrived. 

Mathavan asked his friend which person “he had a problem with”, to which his friend pointed at Mr Ng.

Mr Ng and the victim, Mr Zhang, were standing outside the bar at the time. 

Mathavan then ran up to the both of them and kicked the victim in the stomach. Kishan also ran towards Mr Zhang and punched him several times. 

While Kishan was punching the victim, Mathavan also attempted to punch Mr Zhang twice but he missed on both occasions. 

One of Kishan’s punches knocked the victim unconscious and he fell to the ground. 

According to a medical report, the victim suffered a minor head injury, jaw contusion and knee abrasion.

Kishan is described as a co-accused in court documents, but no further details are available about the status of charges against him.

DRIVING DRUNK, UNLICENSED

Mathavan was also charged with drink driving and driving without a valid licence, which happened on a separate occasion.  

He had driven his friend's rented car after consuming five to six cups of whisky on Oct 16, 2021. 

He did not possess a valid driving licence at the time. 

Mathavan was previously sentenced in June 2020 to 15 months' probation for five charges, including one charge of careless driving and one charge of driving a motor vehicle while under 18 years of age.

He was also charged with failing to stop after an accident. 

Two other charges were taken into consideration at the time. 

While delivering the sentence on Monday, District Judge Carol Ling said that reformative training “is the most appropriate sentence for you at this time”. 

“I hope you can benefit from this programme… and I hope this period will be helpful for you in terms of reflection and going ahead.”

For voluntarily causing hurt, Mathavan could have been jailed for up to three years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.