Jail for repeat offender who assaulted LTA enforcement officer, causing rib fracture

SINGAPORE – A man who has been in and out of jail for offences including assault will be spending more time behind bars after he shoved a Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officer, fracturing one of the victim’s ribs.

On Tuesday, Lim Teck Kim, 53, was sentenced to a year’s jail after he pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to the victim and using criminal force on the latter’s colleague.

Lim, then a fitness trainer, was illegally riding an unregistered power-assisted bicycle (PAB) on a public footpath in Ang Mo Kio at around 6.15pm on Dec 16, 2021, when LTA enforcement officer Shaik Shameer Shaik Gulam Ali spotted him.

Lim was at a pedestrian crossing at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 when Mr Shaik’s two colleagues - Mr Zikry Nur Hakmi Zainudin and Ms Dhanie Nur Ilham Mohamed Rahman – approached him.

They told Lim that it was illegal to ride the PAB on a public footpath, and asked him to follow them to a nearby taxi stand as Mr Shaik was waiting for him there.

Mr Shaik told Lim that he wanted to impound the PAB as it was not compliant with regulations.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan told the court: “The accused expressed reluctance to hand over his PAB and instead asked for Shaik to exercise some leniency.

“He suggested that he be given a chance to sell off his PAB. This was because, as the accused explained to Shaik, the PAB was a costly purchase for him, and he used it to earn a living.”

However, Mr Shaik insisted on impounding the vehicle and told Ms Dhanie to alert the police when Lim refused to cooperate.

Mr Zikry and Mr Shaik then held onto the handlebar of the PAB to prevent Lim from riding away.

The DPP said: “The accused roughly shoved the PAB forward, causing Zikry’s hand to slip from the right handlebar.

“However, Shaik was still holding on to the left handlebar. Shaik began repeating the words ‘Mr Lim’ and ‘please’ in the hope of calming the accused down.”

Lim used his right palm to shove Mr Zikry’s chest once. Mr Shaik later gripped the left handlebar of the PAB and asked Lim to cooperate with the authorities.

Lim then used his left hand to shove Mr Shaik twice, causing the latter to stumble backwards.

Lim finally stopped resisting when auxiliary police officers arrived at the scene.

Feeling pain in his chest area, Mr Shaik went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Dec 17, 2021, and was diagnosed with a fractured left rib.

On Tuesday, DPP Tan urged the court to sentence Lim to between 14 and 16 months’ jail, adding: “Shaik suffered a rib fracture that caused him persistent chest pain for no less than seven weeks.”

Lim was represented by lawyers Christopher Bridges and Pratap Kishan who pleaded for their client to be given three months’ jail.

The lawyers said: “The accused is not a hardened criminal. He has since reflected on his actions and is committed to steer clear of any offences in the future.”

Lim’s bail was set at $15,000 on Tuesday, and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on Oct 31 to begin his sentence.