Man jailed for assaulting taxi driver after refusing to pay cab fare
Source: CNA
SINGAPORE: A man refused to pay his cab fare of S$23.10 (US$17.14) and instead walked away from the taxi when he arrived at his destination.
When the taxi driver tried to stop him, a dispute ensued and the passenger assaulted the driver before punching his windscreen and cracking it.
The aggressor, 56-year-old Lum Chai Meng, was sentenced to five weeks' jail on Friday (Mar 22).
The Singaporean pleaded guilty to one charge each of voluntarily causing hurt and mischief, with a third charge taken into consideration.
The court heard that Lum flagged a 40-year-old taxi driver's vehicle in Chinatown on the night of Mar 4 last year.
When they arrived at Lum's destination in Chai Chee, the cabby told him the fare was S$23.10 and asked him to pay it.
Lum alighted without paying and began walking away.
The cabby immediately got out from his vehicle and asked Lum to stop and to pay his fare.
A dispute ensued and Lum made aggressive gestures at the cabby before punching his chest.
He continued launching attacks at the taxi driver, but the latter blocked the blows.
Lum also punched the front windscreen of the taxi, cracking it.
The cabby called the police who arrived shortly after, arresting Lum and getting him to pay the fare.
The victim saw a doctor for his bruises and tenderness and was given two days' medical leave.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kiera Yu said Lum has multiple past convictions, albeit dated.
The convictions are from 1991 with the latest one in 2002, and span a variety of offences such as drugs, theft and voluntarily causing hurt.
Ms Yu said Lum's multiple past convictions show a pattern of repeated reoffending.
Defence lawyer Lim Lei Theng from Allen & Gledhill took on the case under the Enhanced Guidance for Plea Scheme in the State Courts, which offers free legal advice from volunteer lawyers for certain accused persons.
She said Lum has been in remand for about six weeks and that he has pleaded guilty at the earliest available opportunity.
"While we are grateful to the prosecution for the measured sentencing, we urge the court to consider that the antecedents are ... more than 30 years ago," said Ms Lim.
"He actually has been living a reasonably quiet and peaceful life. This can be seen as an anomaly."
She asked the court to consider a three-week jail term for the hurt charge, and said Lum cannot afford to pay a fine.
District Judge Terence Tay said the victim in question was a taxi driver and that the altercation was over the taxi fare.
While he agreed with the prosecution that a high fine would be given in the usual situation of mischief regarding the windscreen offence, Judge Tay said the vehicle here is a public transport vehicle, which may justify a short jail term.