Man refused to pay allegedly inflated taxi fare, assaulted cabby and kicked policeman's buttock

SINGAPORE: Thinking that he was being overcharged, a drunk man refused to pay his taxi fare after arriving at his condominium.

He scuffled with the taxi driver and cursed at the police officers who escorted him to lockup, shouting repeatedly that he was Singaporean.

At one point, one of the officers responded: "I'm also Singaporean."

Dong Wei, a 43-year-old Singaporean, was jailed on Friday (Mar 15) for four weeks and fined S$3,000 (US$2,240).

He pleaded guilty to three charges including voluntarily causing hurt, using abusive words against a public servant and using criminal force on a public servant.

Another two charges were considered in sentencing.

THE CASE

The court heard that Dong met his friends at Copthorne Waterfront Hotel for drinks on Mar 17, 2020.

He boarded a taxi opposite the hotel at about 11.55pm that night, bound for a condominium in Sin Ming.

When they arrived at the condo, a security guard asked for the unit number.

The 59-year-old taxi driver repeated the question to Dong, who looked at him with a dazed expression and did not reply.

When Dong did not give a unit number, the security guard instructed the cabby to wait by the side of the road.

As the taxi driver tried to wake Dong from his drunken stupor, Dong vomited in the cab.

The driver then asked Dong to alight, and Dong began walking towards his condominium.

But the driver stopped Dong, reminding him about the fare, and called for police assistance.

When Dong tried to go home again, the taxi driver attempted to stop him, pulling or grabbing his arm.

They began scuffling and in the process, Dong slapped and punched the cabby's head and face. The attack was captured on closed-circuit television footage. 

The police arrived shortly after and arrested Dong, who was behaving aggressively in a drunken state.

The party of officers escorted Dong to regional lockup at Central Police Divisional Headquarters in the early hours of Mar 18, 2020.

Dong refused to comply with a blood pressure check and hurled vulgarities.

When one of the officers advised him to cooperate and mind his language, Dong responded: "I'm ****ing being arrested for nothing. ****ing take your hands off."

In video footage played in court, he also said he was a Singaporean and did not deserve this.

Dong continued shouting and sat down on a chair. He then looked at one of the police officers and shouted "you the ****er" and "you are the ****ing".

The police then moved Dong into a wheelchair and pushed him to another room.

While the officers were filling out paperwork with their backs to Dong, Dong kicked the buttock of one of the officers.

Surprised, the officer turned around, only to receive another kick on his thigh.

Dong was defended by Mr Andre Jumabhoy, who sought a total of two to three weeks' jail and a fine of S$3,000.

MITIGATION

Mr Jumabhoy said his client had not initiated the physical contact with the cabby.

Dong was "aggrieved" that the taxi driver was attempting to overcharge him with a fee of S$29, the lawyer said.

As Dong had previously taken cabs home from the hotel at about the same time, he knew he was being overcharged and became agitated as a result, Mr Jumabhoy said.

He said his client was a divorcee with two young children and a "valuable and contributing member of society" with a degree in engineering from Nanyang Technological University.

The offences occurred against a backdrop where Dong had lost his job and marriage and became the sole caregiver of his two young children, said the lawyer.

"Unable to find a job, and struggling to provide for the family, the accused borrowed money from his mother to start a business in China to provide for his children," said Mr Jumabhoy.

He said his client later discovered that his wife had used a large sum of his money for herself and his business began performing badly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is for him now to take this opportunity to reflect on how far he has fallen and how he can turn his own failings into a teachable moment for his children," said the lawyer.