A Singapore Institute of Management student who held down a taxi driver and punched him in the face repeatedly was jailed for three weeks on Monday.

Tan Jian Liang, 24, boarded a ComfortDelGro cab at Boat Quay at 1.40am and told driver Mr Seah Teck Kim to take him to Choa Chu Kang Crescent.

He then fell asleep and when the cabby arrived at his destination he asked his passenger which block number he wanted - but got no reply. The 65-year-old got out of the car and went to tap on Tan's shoulder. He told the cabby to drive straight on then went back to sleep.

When Mr Seah tapped him again to ask for his residential address, Tan turned aggressive and shouted: "You want to fight?" He then got out of the taxi and chased the driver before pushing him to the ground and sitting on his stomach.

He threw punches in the face of the cabby, who tried to block the blows with his hands.

Police officers who were passing by on an anti-crime round stopped the assault.

Mr Seah suffered minor injuries and was given three days' medical leave.

One of the officers reported that he came across a drunkard beating up taxi driver in his report at 2.13am.

Tan had pleaded guilty to causing hurt to Mr Seah on a road near Block 667 Choa Chu Kang Crescent on Jan 17 this year.

A second charge of damaging the taxi's NETS device was taken into consideration

Tan has since paid $336 to ComfortDelGro for the damage, and $515 to the victim for loss of income and medical fees.

District Judge Lim Keng Yeow allowed Tan to defer sentence until May 5 as his final-year examination is around the corner.

Tan could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000 for voluntarily causing hurt.