SINGAPORE - After committing violent offences, an Irishman based in Singapore left his job as a human resource professional but remained in the country on a special pass to assist with investigations.

During that time, Alan Michael Donoghue, 37, went to the Formula One (F1) race with his friends and ended up in a fight and punched a man.

Donoghue was sentenced to six months and five weeks’ jail on Feb 23 after he pleaded guilty to two charges of voluntarily causing hurt and one charge of voluntarily causing hurt which caused grievous hurt.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew said Donoghue, who was a global team leader in a Singapore company at that time, was at East Coast Park on June 24, 2023, for his friend’s wedding party, during which he drank alcohol.

He left the party after midnight and went to a drop-off point to take a Grab ride home, but got into the wrong car.

The 32-year-old driver, who was there to pick up another passenger, told him to leave multiple times.

But Donoghue refused and hurled a vulgarity at the driver, who noticed that Donoghue was drunk and called the police.

A man, 38, and his wife approached the car and the driver informed them of the situation.

While the man and the driver were talking to each other, Donoghue alighted from the car and punched the driver on his face twice.

The other man, who was also drunk, tried to intervene, but Donoghue pinned him against the car and punched him on his face several times.

He then threw the man onto the ground and kicked him multiple times.

Donoghue was arrested at the scene and was released on personal bond on June 26, 2023.

The driver suffered a facial injury while the other man suffered multiple injuries including fractures in his nose.

On Sept 16, 2023, Donoghue and his three companions, including British national George Ernest Hyde, 37, were at the Padang together to watch the F1 race and concerts.

They also drank alcohol during the event. At about 10.30pm, they left the Padang and were walking along Connaught Drive.

At the same time, a 25-year-old man and his three companions were walking in the opposite direction.

Believing he saw Hyde touching one of his companions, the man immediately confronted him.

Upon seeing the confrontation, Donoghue went up to the 25-year-old man and began gesticulating aggressively at him.

Suddenly, Donoghue pushed him to the ground, and after he stood up, punched him on his face multiple times.

Shortly after, Special Operations Command officers who were close to the scene attended to the situation.

The victim suffered swelling and pain but did not seek medical attention.

Hyde has a pending molestation charge and his next court date is on March 7.

DPP Chew asked the court to sentence Donoghue to six to eight months’ and six to eight weeks’ jail.

He said the incident at the F1 race was evidence of Donoghue’s recalcitrance and disregard for the law.

He added that the incident occurred in a public area and would therefore likely have given rise to some public alarm.

Donoghue’s lawyer Derek Kang asked for 12 weeks’ jail for his client, saying that Donoghue started drinking in excess only in 2019 after a series of serious tragedies his family had suffered.

This included an incident in 2019 when his daughter suffered a serious injury while on an escalator in Singapore which permanently maimed her. Mr Kang said this affected his client’s relationship with his wife, as they both blamed each other for what happened.

For voluntarily causing hurt, Donoghue could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.

For voluntarily causing hurt that leads to grievous hurt, he could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to $10,000, or both.