Former actor Huang Yiliang to begin jail term after court dismisses his appeals over worker assault

SINGAPORE: Former actor Ng Aik Leong, better known as Huang Yiliang, will begin his jail term for assaulting a worker after losing his appeals in the High Court on Friday (Feb 4).

When the Mandarin interpreter told him about the verdict and relayed to him the judge's question on whether he wanted to defer sentence or go to prison immediately, Ng sat in silence, shaking his head. He decided after a few minutes that he would begin his sentence.

Ng was convicted at trial of assaulting a Bangladeshi worker at the Singapore Islamic Hub in 2018.

Justice Aedit Abdullah upheld his jail term of 10 months for one count of voluntarily causing hurt using a dangerous weapon.

Ng was also ordered to pay the victim S$3,300 in compensation for his salary, as well as the pain and suffering caused. If he does not pay, he will have to serve another three weeks' jail in default.

The former actor had attacked the worker, who was cleaning a ventilation duct in a canteen area on Dec 11, 2018, with a heavy metal scraper.

He was annoyed that the victim did not use enough string to fasten a plastic bag to a rubbish pail.

In the lower court, Ng conducted his own defence. He claimed that the victim had asked him to beat him and teach him. Ng said he learnt how to throw fake punches during his acting days and did not actually hit the victim or injure him.

He claimed he was the real victim, saying that the victim was a "monster, a big monster" who was out to frame him and was "trying to murder him".

Ng appointed lawyer Chung Ting Fai for his appeal in the High Court on Friday. Mr Chung argued against the conviction and asked for a lower sentence, and for the prosecution to disclose video footage that purportedly showed Ng faking his punches and the victim pretending to be injured.

The judge dismissed all three bids.

Mr Chung argued that had Ng really used a metal scraper on the victim, his injury would have been greater.

There was no witness to the alleged attack, with the only testimony being the victim's, which was accepted "without question", said Mr Chung.

He added that the trial judge did not consider the absence of sound in the closed-circuit television footage, and post-incident footage showed Ng sitting down calmly, "which was inconsistent with a person who just perpetuated violence on another person".

The prosecutors said the conviction by the trial judge was "amply supported by the evidence" and the sentence was not excessive.