Man jailed for punching elderly e-scooterist who lost sight in one eye

Accusing an elderly e-scooter rider of bumping into him, Lim Wee Ming, 46, got into a dispute with the man, swore at him and punched him in the eye.

The blow caused Mr Goh Sung Beng, 68, to later lose sight in his left eye.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Lim was yesterday jailed for a year and ordered to pay $5,258.46 in compensation.

Lim, who works as a packer, had also pleaded guilty to using abusive words towards Mr Goh.

At about 11am on Dec 6, 2017, Mr Goh was riding his e-scooter near Block 289 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3, when he saw Lim walking towards him.

They passed each other and Lim told Mr Goh that he had bumped into him.

The older man denied this and vulgarities were exchanged as the dispute grew heated.

Mr Goh then raised his walking stick, which was hanging on his e-scooter, and swung it around. The stick did not hit Lim, but he punched Mr Goh, causing the latter to bleed from his left eye.

A witness, who came forward to stop the assault, had to hold Lim back. When he realised Mr Goh was bleeding, Lim helped wipe blood off the older man's face.

RUPTURE

Mr Goh was taken in an ambulance to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital where he was found to have suffered several injuries, including a left eye globe rupture. He was later admitted for surgery.

A medical report confirmed Mr Goh had lost sight in his eye and was unable to follow his ordinary routine for 20 days as a result.

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Deputy Public Prosecutor Kang Jia Hui had sought $2,000 more in compensation than what was ordered by the court.

She cited Mr Goh's trauma of suddenly losing sight in one eye, and the many inconveniences he had to endure, including surgery at his age, hospitalisation and multiple doctor's appointments.

Pleading for a smaller amount, defence lawyer Josiah Zee said his client, who is single, earns $1,900 a month and has to support a 70-year-old mother and a 43-year-old brother who are both not working.

Lim was sincerely apologetic to Mr Goh's family for the harm caused and has promised not to re-offend, the lawyer added.

Out on bail of $10,000, Lim will start his sentence on April 6.

He must pay the compensation by Friday or serve an additional five weeks in jail. For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.