SINGAPORE - A salesman who committed road rage and other offences was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail on Monday (July 18).
Tan Wen Zhong, 30, who faced eight charges, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing hurt and one each of mischief and committing a rash act.
A district court heard that parking warden Lim Soo Lan was doing her rounds in Bedok North Street 1 on Oct 12, 2014 when she saw Tan's car parked in a season parking space. She scanned the parking label with a handheld device.
Tan, who was smoking nearby, saw the 60-year-old and scolded and abused her with a Hokkien expletive. He then put his lit cigarette butt into her right waist pocket, and burnt a hole.
Earlier, on Sept 1, he drove into a taxi as he was moving off from the road shoulder along Kaki Bukit Place .
He alighted from his car, entered the taxi and started scolding the driver, Mr Victor Lee, 55, for not giving way to him. Tan also punched Mr Lee , who suffered a half-centimetre long cut on hs left upper lip and was given three days' medical leave.
In the third incident, Tan and Mr Koh Thong Lee, 57, were driving along Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway towards Marina Costal Expressway (MCE) on Dec 31 that year. Mr Koh's brother-in-law was driving in a separate car.
As the cars came to a lane merging into the MCE, Mr Koh's car was ahead of Tan, who sounded his horn and flashed his high beam. Mr Koh continued along MCE and exited at Central Boulevard, followed closely by Tan who kept his high beam on.
Mr Koh then slowed down to let Tan pass. Tan overtook Mr Koh and flashed his middle finger at him.
While driving behind Tan, Mr Koh flashed his high beam at Tan who responded by tapping on his brakes intermittently.
When the two cars came to a stop at the junction of Marina Gardens and Central Boulevard, both parties wound down their windows and exchanged heated words.
Tan got out of his car and used his car door to bang the front passenger door of Mr Koh's car. After a brief quarrel, he returned to his car and took a 38cm-long metal torchlight to hit Mr Koh's wife, who was in the front seat, striking her finger.
Mr Koh grabbed hold of Tan and a struggle ensued before Mr Koh alighted from his car as well. Tan hit Mr Koh with the torchlight and kicked him, sending him into a kerbside drain.
Tan was restrained by a passer-by and Mr Koh's brother-in-law. Tan used the torchlight to hit the front passenger door of Mr Koh's car and also its front side mirror.
Mr Koh suffered a fracture of his right middle finger and abrasions.
Tan has made full restitution of the $1,000 damage caused to the car.
Seeking a sentence of at least 10 weeks' jail, Assistant Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok said a message must be sent that such violent conduct on the road would not be condoned.
