Man fined S$1,500 for shoving plate of food into pregnant woman’s face at movie event

• Kevin Fong Kwok Hsi, 40, was upset that the woman called his father “crazy”
• The elderly man had poked her thigh when she blocked a family taking a photo
• Fong later confronted her and shoved a plate of pastries into her face
• He was given the maximum S$1,500 fine 

SINGAPORE — Upset over an incident between his father and a heavily pregnant woman, Kevin Fong Kwok Hsi confronted her and shoved a plate of food into her face.

The 40-year-old Singaporean received the maximum fine of S$1,500 on Friday (March 19), after pleading guilty to a single charge of using criminal force on the 32-year-old victim in 2019. 

The woman, who was then 33 weeks pregnant, was not named in court documents.

The altercation happened on the afternoon of Nov 23, 2019.

Fong, whose occupation was not stated, and the woman were at the Golden Village cinema at VivoCity shopping centre to attend a “movie day” event, hosted by insurance firms Prudential and Willy Tan Organization.

As the woman walked past a standee depicting a character from the film Frozen 2, she felt someone poke her thigh. She turned and realised it was from an elderly man, Fong’s father. 

He did not say anything, but it appeared he had poked her because she was in the way of a family who was trying to take a photo with the standee, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Phoebe Tan told the court.

The woman mumbled to herself “crazy, anyhow touch people”, before walking away.

Fong’s wife heard this and stared at her, then told Fong what happened. 

The pregnant woman also told her husband about the incident, but they did not pursue it so as not to ruin the event.

About five minutes later, when the woman was in the queue for a buffet lunch, Fong approached her holding a plate of food. He stared at her and she asked: “What is your problem?”

He replied: “Why (did) you say my father (is) crazy?”

She told him that his father had poked her, that she was a woman and she could file a report against his father. She also poked Fong on his thigh as a demonstration.

CUT ON SIDE OF NOSE

Seeing red, Fong shoved his plate of pastries, including an egg tart, into her face. She sustained a 0.2cm cut on the side of her nose.

The woman’s husband heard her shout and came to her aid, shoving Fong on the chest. Others quickly separated the two men and Fong was escorted away from the couple.

She called the police requesting an ambulance and was taken to the Singapore General Hospital. 

She was discharged later that day and given a week of medical leave.

Fong has reimbursed the woman S$121 for her medical expenses. 

In her sentencing submissions, DPP Tan said Fong’s crime did not warrant a jail sentence.

She noted, however, that he used force against a vulnerable victim.

In mitigation, Fong’s lawyer Gopalakrishnan Dinagaran from law firm Prestige Legal LLP said the victim started the chain of events.

“She also poked our client’s thigh without any warning or explanation. He shoved the plate in her face, but it wasn’t done forcefully — if not, she would have fallen down,” he said. 

The lawyer added that Fong had meant to apologise to the woman on the spot but had not, given the confusion that arose from her husband being there and shoving him.

In sentencing Fong, District Judge Prem Raj said the man was in 2017 convicted of hurting a 13-year-old boy by grabbing his neck. He was given a fine.

The latest incident happened about two years later.

“This was a woman in an advanced state of pregnancy," the judge said. 

"For all intents and purposes, she decided to disengage and not pursue the matter, but you decided to approach her in the queue… In these circumstances, you should have walked away, instead of doing what you did.” 

He also warned Fong that if he reoffends, he could be put behind bars.

For using criminal force, he could have been jailed up to three months or fined up to S$1,500, or punished with both.