Man who put Grab driver in a chokehold after argument about vomit in car given jail
He was a regular serviceman with the Singapore Armed Forces at the time of the offence.
File photo of the State Courts of Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
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SINGAPORE: A man who got into a scuffle with his Grab driver after traces of his vomit were found in the car put the driver in a chokehold.
Ashton Jude Joseph, 34, was handed five weeks' jail on Thursday (Jun 26) after he pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt to the driver, 46-year-old Lee Chee Wei.
Joseph, a Singaporean, was a regular serviceman in the Singapore Armed Forces holding the rank of Captain at the time of the offences.
His lawyer told the court that he intends to appeal the sentence.
According to court documents, Joseph met a group of friends at a bar near Serangoon Road at about 7pm on Aug 30 last year. He drank about six or seven pints of beer through the night.
At about 3am the next day, a Grab booking was made to send Joseph home, and Mr Lee was the assigned driver. Mr Lee noticed that Joseph, who sat in the backseat, was drunk.
While on the way home, Joseph felt nauseated and asked Mr Lee for a plastic bag. Mr Lee handed over a plastic bag, which Joseph then vomited into.
The driver offered to stop the car at the roadside for Joseph to finish vomiting, but the latter declined the suggestion.
At about 3.30am, the car arrived at the destination and Joseph alighted.
Mr Lee also alighted to check if there was vomit in his car and noticed traces on the seats and carpets.
Upset, Mr Lee removed the carpets and started to scold Joseph, triggering an argument over the next few minutes.
As Mr Lee returned to his car and reached for the backseat, Joseph grabbed the back of his neck, prompting the victim to shout for help.
Joseph then put Mr Lee in a chokehold. He stopped as a van arrived at the scene a while later, and walked away.
Two witnesses who alighted from the van chased Joseph, who started to run but tripped and fell, injuring his nose. Both witnesses and Joseph then returned to the car.
The altercation was captured by two PolCams near the scene.
Mr Lee felt pain in his neck due to the incident and called the police at about 3.40am.
The authorities arrived a short while later and arrested Joseph. His blood sample was found to contain 124 milligrams of ethanol in 100ml of blood.
Joseph has since offered S$500 (US$392) as compensation and a written apology to Mr Lee.
The prosecution sought five to six weeks’ jail. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Tay said Joseph's reaction, although not entirely unprovoked, was disproportionate.
Ms Tay pointed out that Joseph had been convicted on one count of drink driving in 2016, among other charges.
District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam found that a jail term was warranted in this case and sentenced Joseph accordingly.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Joseph could have been jailed up to three years, or fined up to S$5,000, or both.
In response to queries from CNA, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) holds its service personnel to high standards of discipline and integrity.
Service personnel who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law, it added.
"As the court proceedings are ongoing, the Ministry of Defence and the SAF are unable to comment further at this juncture. We will carefully assess the eventual findings before deciding on further appropriate disciplinary actions against CPT Ashton Jude Joseph."
