SINGAPORE: Upset at a man who shut his car door during a brief confrontation, a driver scuffled with him and inflicted a minor injury with a pair of scissors.
Sunny Tan Boon Heng, 68, later drove his car forward even as the victim, 61-year-old Lin Yansong, stood in front of his car to stop him from leaving.
Tan was handed a jail term of five weeks and a driving ban of six months on Monday (Jun 2), after he pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt, and one count of rash act endangering the victim’s safety.
A charge under the Protection from Harassment Act for using a rude gesture on the victim was taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Tan and the victim were driving along Bedok North Avenue 3 towards Bedok Reservoir Road at about 5pm on Jan 10, 2024, before the incident occurred.
Tan was on the left lane while the victim was on the right lane ahead of Tan.
As the victim wanted to overtake another vehicle, he began moving into the left lane slightly in front of Tan, prompting Tan to sound his horn.
Tan stopped his car to allow the victim to overtake but flashed his high beam.
Both cars stopped at a traffic light, with Tan’s car behind. At that point, Tan made a rude gesture, which the victim saw from his rearview mirror.
The victim alighted his car to confront Tan, who then opened his car door but did not alight.
After a brief argument, the victim pushed Tan’s door shut and walked away, but Tan got out of his car and approached the victim while holding a pair of scissors.
The pair scuffled for about a minute and the victim sustained a slight 0.5cm superficial laceration on his left middle finger.
Tan then returned to his car and reversed it to drive away using the left lane. However, the victim ran to the front of Tan’s car to stop him from leaving, placing his hand on the car and shouting at him.
Tan drove forward again, causing the victim to move backwards.
“The accused knew there was a real risk that his act might endanger the personal safety of (the victim),” said the prosecution.
The victim eventually moved away and the accused drove off. The incident was recorded on the victim’s dashcam.
Lin did not sustain any injury from Tan’s car, but had his wound from the scuffle dressed in a hospital and was given a tetanus vaccine injection.
Tan’s lawyer Tan Seng Kiat from HOH Law Corporation sought fines for his client’s two proceeded charges.
Mr Tan said that his client had been a private-hire car driver with Grab before his contract ended in September 2024. Tan has since stopped driving, largely due to the incident.
Citing a previous high court case as reference, Mr Tan argued that the charge of causing hurt should not be taken as a road rage incident as Tan was responding to how the victim had pushed his car door shut.
He added that his client had taken the pair of scissors in self-defence in light of the victim’s conduct.
His client then disengaged from the victim and was driving his car when the victim approached, Mr Tan said.
Tan had driven in a gradual and slow manner, in contrast to the victim who sought to block the car without regard to his own safety, Mr Tan said.
Alternatively, the lawyer sought jail terms of not more than two weeks for the charge of causing hurt, and not more than two to three weeks for the charge of rash act.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Sim argued against fines being imposed and asked for a jail term.
He said the case was a road rage incident which called for a deterrent sentence, and added that a weapon had been involved.
In sentencing, Principal District Judge Victor Yeo disagreed with the defence’s argument that the case should not be viewed as part of a road rage incident, or that fines would suffice.
He said the case involved road rage violence that occurred after Tan became enraged that the victim cut into his lane.
Judge Yeo agreed with the prosecution that a jail term was called for and imposed the sentence accordingly.
