TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent

Two similar cases of appeal was heard by High Court judge Justice Lee Seiu Kin yesterday with two different results.

While a Japanese national was successful in his appeal against imprisonment for assaulting a cabby, a Singaporean was jailed a month for kicking a bus driver.

Mr Taniguchi Mitsuru, 47, a Japanese construction site manager was initially sentenced to six weeks’ jail in September for using an umbrella to assault a cabby on the forehead and thigh.

He had hailed Mr Lim Hing Soon’s cab along Orchard Road in the early hours of Sept 2 last year after a night out with a friend at a pub.  Mr Lim then pursued Mr Mitsuru to collect his taxi fare but was pushed to the ground by Mr Mitsuru.

When Mr Lim returned to his taxi to retrieve an umbrella, Mr Taniguchi tried to grab it away from him and both fell to the ground during the tussle.

The scuffle for control of the umbrella continued which resulted in the victim having a 7cm-long cut over the forehead, a left upper thigh wound and chest pain.

Mr Mitsuru’s lawyer argued that his actions were in “self-defence” and he stopped when he saw the taxi driver bleed. Justice Lee substituted Mr Mitsuru’s jail sentence with a $2,000 fine.

In another case, Singaporean Balbir Singh was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment for kicking a bus driver on his leg after being reminded the second time to pay his fare.

Justice Lee dismissed his appeal on the grounds that the act was committed in “a spur of the moment” and that he was “in a hurry”.

He said a deterrent message needed to be sent out that attacks against bus drivers would not be tolerated.

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