Man gets jail for hitting manager with dustbin cover and poking cigarette into motorist's lip

Gabriel Kok Khen Foon was sentenced to 12 months in prison for causing grievous hurt. PHOTO: ST GRAPHICS

SINGAPORE - A self-employed man, who used a metal dustbin cover to hit a manager repeatedly on his face in 2012, was sentenced to 12 months' jail on Tuesday (April 26) for causing grievous hurt.

Gabriel Kok Khen Foon, 28, was also sentenced to a week's jail for causing hurt by poking a lighted cigarette into motorist's upper lip along Central Expressway (CTE) in 2014.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok told the court that Kok and his group of friends were waiting for a cab outside Central Mall along Eu Tong Sen Street after a drinking session on May 6, 2012 when they noticed Indian nationals Seth Kapil, 31, and Shetty Vinaykumar Jayakumar, 30, trying to flag down taxis along the road.

Kok then told Mr Seth, a manager with Procter & Gamble, to get into the queue but Mr Seth replied that there was no queue.

A quarrel escalated into a physical altercation, and a scuffle ensued.

Kok's friends surrounded the two men and started kicking and punching them.

Kok ran to a dustbin nearby, took its cover and hit Mr Shetty once on the head before hitting Mr Seth repeatedly on the face after he had fallen to the ground. Mr Seth lost consciousnes.

Kok stopped the attack when he heard someone shouting at him to run away. He threw the cover aside and left with his friends.

APP Kok said a passer-by followed Kok and pointed him out to the police who arrested him. Mr Seth suffered cuts on his face and left middle finger, as well as a broken nasal bone.

In the road rage case, the court heard that Kok was driving when he flashed the car's high beam repeatedly at Mr Jereme Quek Han Fei along the CTE just before 6.40am on Oct 9, 2014.

Kok's passengers were his friends, Ms Chelsie Choo Peck Sie, then 19, and Mr Bryan Ang Guo Shuang.

Both cars came to a stop before the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 exit. Mr Quek asked why Kok had flashed the high beam repeatedly and tailgated him.

Kok asked why Mr Quek had refused to give way and also jammed his brakes repeatedly.

Mr Ang stepped out of the car and tried to mediate but the two continued to quarrel.

Kok then took the Bluetooth earpiece Mr Quek was wearing and threw it onto a grass patch.

Kok wanted to drive off but Mr Quek stood infront of his car and took photographs of it.

Ms Choo hurled vulgarities at Mr Quek, pushed Kok and used her platform heel to hit the victim on his right arm. Her friends tried to restrain her.

Mr Quek, who called the police, repeatedly tried to stop Kok's car from leaving.

Kok and his friends then started smoking. Holding his lighted cigarette, Kok kept pointing his index and middle fingers at Mr Quek's face. He then used the cigarette to poke the victim on the left of his upper lip. Mr Quek quickly brushed Kok's hand away.

In his mitigation, Kok's lawyer Navin Thevar said his client had paid $3,000 to Mr Seth. He said Kok is taking medication for his intermittent explosive disorder.

Kok, who has previous convictions for affray, rioting and disorderly behaviour, could have been jailed for up to 10 years, fined or caned for grievous hurt; and for causing hurt, jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.

elena@sph.com.sg

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