SINGAPORE - Four men were sentenced to jail on Friday (Jan 26) for assaulting three men, causing injuries including a broken nose and a lost tooth.
Brothers R. Ritchie Vanu, 24 and Navin Nigel Vanu, 28, committed the offence with student Tan Qin Xiang, 23, and drum instructor Joshua Iype Mathew, 25, outside the Bang Bang club in Raffles Boulevard at around 5.15am on Feb 13, 2016.
On Monday, all four men pleaded guilty to two counts of assault each. Each had a third assault charge taken into consideration during sentencing.
Navin Nigel Vanu, who works in an investment company, also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of using criminal force on a policeman. He was sentenced to three months and four weeks' jail on Friday.
His brother, who is a student, and Joshua were each given three months' jail.
District Judge Tan Jen Tse felt that Tan had a higher culpability in the assault cases and sentenced him to three months and two weeks.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Dwayne Lum said that while inside Bang Bang, Tan had grabbed a woman's hand while trying to make an unwanted advance and was slapped by one of her friends, Mr Ng Chen Kai.
As a result, a dispute broke out and both groups were thrown out of the club.
Tan and his friends tried to re-enter but were denied entry. Unhappy, Tan confronted Mr Ng, 28, and punched him in the face.
Mr Ng's two friends, Mr Gabriel Goh Shu Liang and Mr Ong Zhehan, both 28, tried to help but were attacked by Tan's group who rained blows on them.
DPP Lum said: "The victims' group did not retaliate physically during this assault but were trying to block the attacks."
The attackers stopped when they spotted a taxi driver walking towards them and fled before police arrived.
An ambulance took their three victims to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where Mr Goh was found to have a broken nose. The court heard that Mr Ong suffered injuries including a missing tooth.
DPP Lum added that on Jan 16, the attackers gave their victims $6,741.60 as compensation for their medical bills.
Separately, a policeman, Staff Sergeant Mohamed Rosli Mohamed, 33, detained Navin Nigel Vanu and his cousin, Mr Kishan Shaun Sathe Thas, 23, after he was notified of an alleged fight in Club Street near Chinatown at around 2.50am on Feb 22, 2015.
Navin Nigel Vanu, who was highly intoxicated at the time, pushed the officer. DPP Lum said Mr Kishan was given a stern warning.
The two siblings and their friends are now out on bail of $15,000 each as they would like to settle their personal affairs before serving time.
They were ordered to surrender themselves at the State Courts on Feb 2 to begin serving their sentences.
Offenders convicted of assault can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000 for each charge.
