Taxi driver who sprayed insecticide at another cabby over road rage incident jailed
Upset at a taxi driver who shouted vulgarities at him, another taxi driver lit a spray of insecticide at him in an attempt to burn him.
In what the District Judge described as a “novel” case due to the choice of weapon, Singaporean Ng Soon Kim, 66, was jailed for 14 months and disqualified from driving for 18 months after he admitted to one count of voluntarily causing hurt with a weapon.
Ng, who has since lost his job as a taxi driver, was also ordered to pay compensation of $115 to fellow taxi driver, 61-year-old Lam Choon Chai.
The road rage incident was sparked off by an earlier encounter between the two taxi drivers at a taxi stand in Vivocity on 1 May 2017. Around 8pm, as Lam was waiting in line to pick up a passenger, Ng cut into his lane, nearly causing Lam to collide into a wall.
Later, as Lam stopped at a red light while driving towards the junction of Harbourfront Walk and Telok Blangah Road, he spotted Ng’s taxi beside his. Lam wound down his window and hurled Hokkien profanities at Ng.
In response, Ng alighted from his taxi with a can of insecticide. He then stretched his hand into Lam’s taxi window and sprayed the insecticide at Lam twice.
The liquid, which was sprayed from about 30cm away, entered Lam’s eyes causing him pain and irritation. The act alarmed Lam’s passenger, who shouted at Ng.
After spraying, Ng retrieved a lighter from his taxi and sprayed the insecticide at the victim a third time while placing the lit lighter in front of the can.
This caused the aerosol stream to ignite and create a flash fire for about three seconds.
Lam called the police for help. He was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with first degree superficial burns to the left ear, cheek and neck. His hair and left eyebrow were also singed.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Grace Chua called for deterrence, describing Lam’s use of insecticide as a “novel and creative” way of using a commonly available household item to cause hurt.
DPP Chua pointed out that there was a degree of premeditation in Ng’s actions as he had used the lighter with the insecticide.
Ng’s lawyer Mervyn Tan said that his client was frustrated since losing his previous job as a manager and his divorce.
The defence lawyer urged the court to consider the context of the altercation and that it took “two hands to clap”. Ng had the insecticide can in his possession as he was afraid of being assaulted.
“His anger got the better of him,” said the lawyer.
A jail term might be detrimental to his client, who had suffered from a heart attack and had undergone surgery, Tan added.
District Judge Kenneth Yap described the case as a” vicious and extreme” case of road rage.
“We cannot have people taking actions in their own hands in the roads,” said the DJ. While the actual harm caused was “not high”, the potential for harm was great due to the risk of the taxi catching fire, he added.
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