Attacks on buses while drunk land man behind bars

Drunk while travelling on a public bus, Ivan Abraham Michel first started shouting, then attacked the bus captain, getting off only after police were called. PHOTO: ST GRAPHICS

DRUNK while travelling on a public bus, he first started shouting, then attacked the bus captain, getting off only after police were called.

But that did not stop 30-year-old Ivan Abraham Michel from boarding another bus and getting into a fight, this time with a passenger.

Ivan, who pleaded guilty, was yesterday sentenced to a total of 12 weeks' jail for voluntarily causing hurt, affray and committing a rash act to endanger the personal safety of others.

The court heard that he boarded bus service 171, driven by Mr Shan Hai Rui, on March 10 at Bukit Panjang Plaza in Jelebu Road. Sometime before 1.18pm, when the bus was near a bus stop outside Block 183 Jelebu Road, he started shouting.

Mr Shan, 32, stopped the bus and told him to lower his volume. Ivan went up and scolded him instead, and slapped him once on the back.

An SMRT ticket inspector noticed the commotion and went up to the bus to help. Police were called.

After getting off the bus, Ivan boarded service 173. A passenger seated at the back, Mr Md Ismail Abdul Latif Ramalingam, was keeping an eye out for an ATM machine around the Bukit Batok Central area as he was not familiar with the place.

Thinking that the 27-year-old Md Ismail was looking at him, Ivan confronted the victim. During the dispute, Ivan punched Mr Md Ismail in the head. The victim, who hit back, suffered a head injury and a broken little finger.

After Ivan was arrested, his blood alcohol level was found to be 155mg per 100ml, almost twice the legal limit if he had been driving.

On Jan 23, Ivan had also pushed a neighbour's flower pot on the second floor to the ground floor. Just before, while at home in Pending Road, he had quarrelled with his mother over his drinking habit. He had earlier consumed a bottle of rice wine and a few cans of beer.

The court, which took into consideration another rash-act charge committed last November, backdated his sentence to March 12. He had a previous conviction for being a member of an unlawful assembly.

elena@sph.com.sg

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 24, 2015, with the headline Attacks on buses while drunk land man behind bars. Subscribe