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Man jailed six weeks for coffee shop brawl in Bukit Batok

Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

A 64-year-old man was jailed six weeks for his part in a coffee shop brawl in Bukit Batok.

Chee Eik Hwa, who claimed trial previously, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt in the State Courts on Monday (29 January).

The court heard that on 30 June 2016, a man by the name of Goh Kim Seng was causing a ruckus at the coffee shop at Blk 155 Bukit Batok St 11. His actions prompted a passer-by to make a police report.

Chee, who was at the coffee shop at the time, got into a dispute with Goh. Chee then grabbed two beer bottles and hit Goh on the head.

Goh, who also armed himself with a beer bottle, retaliated in a similar manner. During the scuffle, they grappled with each other and fell to the floor. While Goh was on the floor, Chee continued to kick and punch his head and body.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the fight, which was played in court, showed several members of the public at the coffee shop quickly moving away from the scene of the fight.

Goh sustained a fracture of the nasal bone, abrasions, a bruise on his brow and tenderness on his teeth.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Quek Jing Feng asked for a jail term of at least two months, saying that Chee was aggressive and continued to attack Goh even when he was sitting on the floor. Members of the public, including a woman and her young daughter, saw the disturbance and were alarmed, he added.

Quek told the court that Goh had been charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt. A warrant of arrest has been issued for Goh after he absconded, Quek added.

Chee’s lawyer Ng Keng Chye pointed out that it was Goh who started the fight, and that Goh was “every bit as blameworthy” in the incident. Ng sought a fine or a community service order to be imposed on Chee.

Quek disagreed, saying that a community service order was not appropriate because a display of violence in public should not be condoned.

District Judge (DJ) Hamidah Ibrahim agreed that it was not appropriate to hand down a community-based sentence and that a jail term was warranted. She, however, noted that Goh’s injuries were relatively minor and that he was the one who started the fight.

She allowed Chee to defer serving his sentence until 5 March so that he could celebrate Chinese New Year.

For voluntarily causing hurt, he could have been jailed up to two years, fined up to $5,000 or both.

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