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SINGAPORE – A man who allegedly struck an SBS Transit bus driver after boarding the bus without wearing a mask was brought to court on Thursday (September 17).
Ja’afally Abdul Rahim was charged with one count of voluntarily wounding the Low Kok Weng bus driver by shoving him in the face along Pasir Ris Drive 1 at approximately 2.50pm on Tuesday.
The 52-year-old also faces a charge of possession of a knife with a 6 cm long blade, which is an offensive weapon under the law, at the time.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, SBS Transit said a 52-year-old commuter had boarded the 21 service along Pasir Ris Drive 6 at approximately 2.45 p.m. the day before. He was not wearing a mask at the time, and only put it on later.
The man began swearing at the bus driver, who was not named in the Facebook post, and continued to do so for two bus stops.
After the driver stopped the bus in front of Block 210 along Pasir Ris Drive 1 to wait for the police to arrive, the passenger began to physically abuse him.
“The man grabbed the bus captain’s neck and neck, holding him for more than a minute. He refused to release him even when our captain begged him to do so,” SBS Transit said.
“The captain of our bus could be seen hunched over with his arms shielding his face as the man began repeatedly hitting him on the head,” added the public transport operator.
It was unclear what caused the attack.
Three men at the bus stop boarded the bus and accosted the man, dragging him off the bus. Then they restrained him until the police arrived.
SBS Transit said the bus driver was consciously transferred to Changi General Hospital after the assault and received three days of medical leave.
Attaching a photo of the beaten driver in the mail, the public transport operator said: “We are grateful that he was not seriously injured. He is in shock but remains in a good mood.”
Ja’afally has been posted $ 15,000 bond and is expected to return to court on October 8.
If found guilty of willfully causing harm, Ja’affally can be jailed for up to three years and / or fined up to $ 5,000.
He can also be imprisoned for up to three years and punished with not less than six strokes of the baton if convicted of possession of an offensive weapon.
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