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SINGAPORE: Angry that a student from one of the best schools was not heeding her instructions, a former fencing coach threw her phone at her, hitting her face and cutting her nose.
For committing a reckless act that endangered the personal safety of others and injured the 13-year-old boy, Chan Shihan, 27, was fined 2,000 Singaporean dollars on Thursday (September 10).
The court heard that Chan was a freelance trainer at Blade Club Singapore, a firm that provides fencing lessons.
She was teaching a fencing class at the victim’s school on the afternoon of February 20 last year. The name of the school was erased from the court documents and the child cannot be named because he is a minor.
When Chan gathered the students to continue the class after a break, he noticed that the victim was sitting.
He was tired and was not heeding Chan’s instructions, Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Kee said.
Chan called the boy and asked him to get up, but he refused. Instead, he used his fencing sword and struck his mask, which was on the ground.
Chan was sitting in a chair about 5 meters from the victim. She got mad at him for not following her instructions and threw her mobile phone at him.
He intended to hit the boy’s mask, which was on the ground in front of him, but missed.
The mobile phone hit the boy in the face, causing a cut on the bridge of his nose that began to bleed.
Chan ran to the boy and began administering first aid to stop the bleeding, before reporting what happened to the teacher in charge of the club.
The boy’s mother took him to a hospital and the wound was stitched up. Chan followed them to the hospital and apologized to the boy’s mother.
The boy suffered a 1.5 cm laceration to his nose and received seven days of medical leave, with the medical bill of S $ 126.85 paid by Chan’s then company.
Chan had initially called for a trial, but on Thursday pleaded guilty to the charge of a reckless act that endangered the safety of others.
COACH IN POSITION OF AUTHORITY: FISCAL
Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Kee asked for a fine of at least S $ 3,000, saying that Chan was in a position of authority over the victim, who was only 13 at the time.
Defense attorney Laurence Goh asked for a fine of no more than S $ 1,500, saying that his client had been “foolish” and “very sorry”.
“It should be noted that the moment he threw down (his phone), he regretted it,” Goh said, emphasizing that Chan had been pointing at the mask and not at the boy.
Chan also suggested taking him to a clinic, but all the clinics were closed at the time, so his mother took him to the hospital.
Mr. Goh said that the boy recovered very quickly and wanted to go back to training. The incident occurred a month before a tournament in March, which could explain Chan’s “stress and urgency.”
The rest of the fencing students were ready for a fencing training and training session except for the victim, who “misbehaved,” the lawyer said.
The boy recovered in time and was selected to represent his school in a national competition, which he did “quite well,” he added.
“The boy was not affected mentally or physically,” the lawyer said, adding that his client was suspended and has not been able to train since.
She said that she is the main source of income for the family and provided testimonials that said she was a good coach.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, Chan, who is trained in first aid, offered to help out on the front lines, Goh said.
She helped as an ambulance driver and cleaner, “contributing positively to society.”
His lawyer asked for a low fine, saying that training authorities had said they would appeal to the Ministry of Education for Chan to resume work if he received a low fine.
For a reckless act that endangered the safety of others, Chan could have been imprisoned for up to a year, fined up to S $ 5,000, or both.
