A design executive who slammed a car door on a taxi driver and then beat him up was jailed for three weeks on Friday (June 19).
Dutchman Dino Petrus Johannes van Deijzen, 34, had admitted causing hurt to Mr Ee Kah Ling, 42, at the open air carpark at Block 538 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 at 12.58am on Oct 21 last year.
The court heard that van Deijzen and his girlfriend were heavily intoxicated when they boarded the victim’s taxi at Dunlop Street and directed him to go to Block 538 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5. They slept in the rear passenger seat.
When the taxi reached the block, the girlfriend vomited inside the taxi.
Mr Ee then asked the couple to exit, and approached van Deijzen for the fare and resolve the issue of the vomit.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chin Jincheng said the couple ignored him and walked away, without paying.
Mr Ee then said he would call the police. He walked back to his taxi.
While Mr Ee was retrieving his mobile phone, van Deijzen slammed the car door on him and punched him.
When Mr Ee tried to escape, van Deijzen chased him and pushed him to the ground. He then punched and kicked him all over his body.
The acts of violence were captured by the in-vehicle CCTV camera of the taxi.
Mr Ee was taken to hospital with slight redness over his chest wall and multiple abrasions on his arms and leg. He was given five days’ medical leave.
Seeking a fine, defence counsel Ang Gek Peng had said in his mitigation plea that his client was not a violent person, and had acted out of character.
Mr Chin had argued that it was a sustained one-sided assault and that van Deijzen was the aggressor.
District Judge Imran Abdul Hamid noted that the victim had also engaged in a scuffle with van Deijzen and traded blows, which would have explained the blunt force trauma suffered by the accused.
The maximum penalty for voluntary causing hurt is two years’ jail and a $5,000 fine.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
