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SINGAPORE – A passenger on the SBS bus became enraged and repeatedly hit the driver who had told him to wear a mask.
Ja’afally Abdul Rahim, 53, was sentenced on Wednesday (December 16) to 16 weeks in jail for assaulting the bus driver Low Kok Weng, 39.
The unemployed Singaporean, who appeared in district court via video link, was also fined $ 1,000 for not wearing a mask, a crime under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
Mr Low, who is Malaysian, was driving SBS Service 21 on Pasir Ris Drive 1 at around 2:45 on September 15 when he stopped at a bus stop and Ja’afally got on the bus without wearing a mask.
He got mad when Mr. Low advised him to wear one.
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Low said: “The defendant was agitated and went to the front of the bus to confront the victim … The victim tried to calm the defendant but to no avail.
“The victim decided to remain silent and leave, while the defendant ranted and aggressively targeted the victim.”
Ja’afally continued to scold the driver and shoved him by the shoulders.
Unable to continue the journey, Mr. Low opened the bus doors for passengers to get off at around 2.55pm.
Then Ja’afally took Mr. Low’s sunglasses and tossed them on the ground.
The DPP told District Judge Christopher Goh: “The defendant continued to confront the victim, who remained silent the entire time. At around 2.58 pm, the defendant grabbed the victim’s vest near his neck and continued to behave aggressively with the victim.
“The victim tried to resist and managed to remove the defendant’s left hand that was holding the victim’s vest … The defendant struck the victim several times on the face and neck.”
The court heard that Ja’afally stopped attacking the driver only when witnesses intervened. They took Ja’afally off the bus and restrained him until the police arrived at the scene.
An ambulance took Mr. Low to Changi General Hospital and he was given three days of ambulatory medical leave.
For assault, Ja’afally could have been jailed for up to two years and fined up to $ 5,000.
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