Bus driver restrained and assaulted by two men, had his wallet stolen
SINGAPORE — Two men who were drinking beer on board a bus were asked by the driver to wear their masks properly, with the bus doors subsequently locked.
Angered, Aziz Khan Sher Khan, 61, and Ahmad Robinson, 70, attacked the 62-year-old bus driver, with Aziz restraining the man while Ahmad hit him and fractured his nose.
The unemployed pair then fled with the driver’s wallet in the incident.
Aziz was jailed for 10 months and 24 days on Wednesday (29 December) after he pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt and in the process inflicting unintentional grievous injury.
A count of failing to wear his mask in the incident, and a count of stealing the driver’s wallet were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The driver was then employed by Go-Ahead Singapore, a bus operator service.
On 2 November, the victim drove the double-decker bus service 2 when the duo boarded the bus in the vicinity of Selarang Halfway House in the morning. The pair had been drinking alcohol and were holding cans of beer when they boarded the bus. Seeing them, the driver told them to wear their masks properly.
They then sat near the front of the bus, facing the staircase to the upper deck. Both continued drinking beer, drawing the attention of the driver, who left his cabin to ask them to put on their masks.
He reported the matter to Go-Ahead Singapore’s control room and was instructed to stop the bus and lock the doors as a police report had been made. The driver did as he was told and stopped the bus along Loyang Avenue.
Realising the doors were locked, the two men confronted the driver aggressively, with Aziz hurling profanities at him. Ahmad kicked the rear door of the bus several times.
A tussle broke out between Ahmad and the driver. Aziz later joined in to snatch the driver’s phone away when the latter tried to make a phone call.
With Aziz restraining the driver, Ahmad climbed over the cabin door and slapped the driver’s head and face. He then climbed back out and kicked the driver’s head and body four to five times in the process. Aziz stole the driver’s wallet and slipped it into his pants.
After a brief break, Ahmad grabbed the driver by the nape of his neck and started kicking him again. The button controlling the bus doors was accidentally pressed, causing the doors to open. The two men fled immediately.
The driver later found his wallet missing.
The attack, which lasted 12 minutes, was captured by CCTV cameras within the bus. The bus service was disrupted for at least 23 minutes. During the incident, there were two commuters in the bus.
The driver underwent X rays of his chest and nasal bone, which revealed that his nasal bone was fractured. He was given six days of hospitalisation leave.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Emily Koh said that Aziz had previously committed multiple offences, including violence against a public servant, for which he was convicted in 2003 and 2009. In May this year, Aziz was jailed for a week for affray and for breaching his mandatory aftercare conditions.
He had been on remission when he offended with the latest charges.
DPP Koh noted that the driver had been trapped in his cabin with no means of escape and had his face, which was a vulnerable part of his body, targeted. Aziz had also robbed the victim in broad daylight.
Mitigating in person, Aziz said he was “very sorry” for the incident. “I feel deep inside very remorseful for what I have done. I am very sorry,” he said.
Ahmad has been charged and his case is pending before the courts.
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