SINGAPORE - Former businessman Zeng Guoyuan, better known as "Parrot Man", has been taken to court after he allegedly assaulted two policemen, causing a possible hairline fracture to one of the officers' right forearm.

Zeng, 65, who used to be a director at Prof Zeng Medical Centre International, was charged last Thursday (Oct 18) with two counts of causing hurt to policemen at around noon.

Two Saturdays ago, on Oct 13, Zeng was said to have grabbed and twisted Staff Sergeant Haider Yahya's right forearm at the Geylang Serai Market.

As a result, Zeng allegedly bruised and caused a possible hairline fracture to the policeman's limb.

He is also accused of kicking Sergeant Aloysius Aw Yong Zhao Lun's face and hands, causing bruises.

According to an earlier Straits Times report, the police were responding to a complaint from a member of the public at 11.30am that day about a man who was asking the public for money at Block 1 Geylang Serai. The police said earlier that during the arrest, the man turned violent and hurt two officers.

In August this year, Zeng was arrested after he had allegedly verbally abused a man in Orchard Road.

Zeng, who has a gaping hole on his face where his nose used to be after being diagnosed with nose cancer in 2014, had contested the 1991 General Election as a Workers' Party candidate.

In the last seven years or so, he had often made the news for declaring his intention to run in elections but subsequently backing out of the contests.

He was often photographed in the past, with a pet parrot perched on his shoulder.

In 2015, Zeng told The New Paper in an interview that he had to make a living by selling tissue paper outside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple in Waterloo Street.

Zeng was offered bail of $10,000 last week and will be back in court on Nov 14.

For each count of causing hurt to a policeman, offenders can be jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned.

Zeng cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old.