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SINGAPORE: In what was a rare decision to spare a road rage offender jail time, the High Court on Thursday ruled that a motorcyclist, who had punched the driver of a car, had acted after being provoked.
The court heard that French national, Christophe Georges Andre Mille, was riding along Jalan Bahar on August 27, 2008, when Mr Chong Yuen, 54, cut into his lane.
He brushed against Mille's motorcycle, almost causing him to fall.
When the pair stopped at a traffic junction, a quarrel broke out and the 34-year-old Frenchman punched Mr Chong. When Mille rode off, Mr Chong followed him and stopped in front of the motorcyclist to prevent him from leaving.
The car again collided into the motorcycle.
The Frenchman had been sentenced to one week's jail by a district court in March.
Appealing against the sentence on Thursday, defence counsel Suresh Damodara said his client lashed out because Mr Chong's unsafe driving could have caused him to fall.
Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong agreed, saying that motorcyclists and cyclists were often the victims in fatal road accidents.
He allowed the appeal and fined Mille S$2,000 instead.
- CNA/ir
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