Man fined $5k for head-butting 10-year-old boy

A parent who head-butted a 10-year-old boy on the forehead over a dispute his child had with the boy was given the maximum fine of $5,000 yesterday.

Phillip Ong Kuan Ming, 32, who works as a human resource officer, admitted causing hurt to the victim at a bookstore in Queen Street on April 12 this year.

The court heard that Ong approached the victim and asked to speak to his parent over an issue between both children.

At that time, the victim's father had not arrived. Hence, the victim walked away and waited for his father at the bookstore.

Ong then entered the bookstore, walked straight towards the victim and head-butted him on his forehead. The assault left the victim with a swelling on the forehead.

His father lodged a police report the same day.

Ong's lawyer Mansur Husain said in mitigation that what his client did was "totally out of character, out of sync with his personality".

Ong, a first-time offender, had reimbursed the victim's father for the medical expenses incurred.

His lawyer added that this was truly a genuine spur-of-the-moment case, and his client had taken steps to ensure that there would be no repeat.

District Judge Ng Peng Hong noted the victim in this case was a young boy. He said that fortunately, the injury was not serious, but he had to impose a hefty fine to reflect the seriousness of this case.

The maximum punishment for the offence is two years' jail and a $5,000 fine.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 20, 2015, with the headline Man fined $5k for head-butting 10-year-old boy. Subscribe