Cabby jailed for eight months for slashing student

Taxi driver Ong Being Guan was jailed for eight months for slashing a 21-year-old student with a penknife. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Annoyed with a fellow motorist who had high beamed him, he confronted the driver with a pocket knife and slashed the man's passenger.

Taxi driver Ong Being Guan, 59, was jailed for eight months on Thursday (Jan 12) after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

He was driving along Rivervale Drive at around 8.20pm on Sept 1 last year when chef Makhda Mohamed Salleh, 43, high beamed him for refusing to give way.

An unhappy Ong tailed Mr Makhda's car down Sengkang East Way and wound down his window as he was spoiling for a fight.

He pulled over near a bus stop in front of Mr Makhda's car, armed himself with the knife and stepped out of his taxi. The chef also alighted from his car.

Mr Makhda's passenger, his nephew Mohammad Adil Yusof, 21, noticed that Ong was carrying the weapon which had a 6cm-long blade .

Sensing danger, the student also got out of the car.

He kicked the left side of Ong's stomach as he wanted to create a distance between the cabby and his uncle.

Ong retaliated by using the knife to slash the left side of Mr Adil's chest.

Mr Makhda and a passer-by managed to pin Ong to the ground before violence escalated.

Banker Seetamsetty Venkata Ranga Prasad, 47, who was nearby, witnessed the commotion and informed the police.

Mr Adil was taken to Changi General Hospital where he was warded for two days.

He suffered injuries including an 8cm slash wound on his chest and was given a total of 56 days of medical leave.

For voluntarily causing hurt with the weapon, Ong could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.

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