Attack in VivoCity leaves cleaner in coma

He was enraged when he saw the aftermath of the commotion between the two unknown groups.

On an overhead bridge connecting St James Power Station and VivoCity, Nigel Koh Jia Sheng's friend lay bleeding after being attacked by a group of men on the bridge.

Together with four friends, Koh, 22, joined another group and chased the men on the bridge, who had all run inside VivoCity.

In the mall, they found their target - a 48-year-old cleaner. He was brutally attacked and was taken to hospital in a comatose state. He also spent a day in an intensive care unit.

The incident happened just after 6am on Jan 31.

Despite the violence, Koh's lawyer, Mr Michael Chia, said in court yesterday that Koh had no gang affiliation.

Mr Chia had asked District Judge Victor Yeo for a probationary report, or to consider sentencing Koh with a fine.

He said: "It was a potentially explosive situation. Nigel (Koh) had acted on the spur of the moment... Nigel is hoping for an opportunity to change. "

Nevertheless, Koh, who was then unemployed, was sentenced to two months' jail for voluntarily causing hurt. His four friends - three chefs and a hairstylist - all face similar charges but have yet to be dealt with.

The court learnt that Koh's group had been club-hopping at St James Power Station. At about 6am, they heard shouts coming from seven men on the bridge.

The victim, Mr Abdul Hamid Ahmad, was on the bridge "but was standing away from the group", court documents revealed. The shouts seemed to be directed at a group of men standing behind Koh.

BLOODY

When Koh and a friend returned from the toilet, all hell broke loose.

Koh found another friend, Louis Tan, on the bridge with a bloody face.

Their chase led them to VivoCity, where they saw Mr Abdul Hamid being assaulted by his pursuers.

Thinking that Mr Abdul Hamid was one of the men who had earlier attacked Tan, Koh and his friends joined in the assault.

Koh kicked and punched him a few times on the body before fleeing.

The assault left Mr Abdul Hamid with multiple facial lacerations, abrasions on his right shin, bleeding on the scalp and sides of his head, and a corneal abrasion on his right eye.

It was unclear why Mr Abdul Hamid was there at the time of the commotion.

zaihan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on August 14, 2014.
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