He fractured hands in attack on platoon mate

SINGAPORE - He tried to hit his victim's face with such force that when he missed and hit the ground instead, he fractured both hands.

Full-time national serviceman Shafiq Shah Husin Shah, 19, had joined a group of four in attacking his platoon mate at White Sands Shopping Centre in Pasir Ris last September.

They hit their victim's head repeatedly while he was pinned down.

In court on Monday, Shafiq pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt and two additional charges involving theft of a motorcycle and riding it while under disqualification.

Two other charges of theft and driving without insurance were taken into consideration.

Shafiq was jailed for a year and disqualified from driving for two years.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yvonne Poon, in asking for jail time for Shafiq, said: "His attacks were highly opportunistic in nature. The force used was so great that when two of his punches missed and hit the ground, he fractured his hands."

The victim, Muhammed Haziq Ali, 22, had allegedly bullied Syed Omar Syed Salim, 20, who was also in the same platoon. Mr Omar decided to confront Mr Haziq and called Shafiq, his two older brothers and a friend along.

The five gathered at the outdoor seating area of McDonald's at White Sands on the afternoon of Sept 29.

When they saw Mr Haziq seated with platoon mates inside the restaurant about an hour later, a member of the group grabbed him and began shouting.

Mr Haziq managed to break free from his attackers and ran out of the restaurant, with the others chasing him. Shafiq caught up with his victim and tripped him with his right leg.

He pinned him down by sitting on his chest before throwing eight punches at his face. Two punches missed their mark.

Two platoon mates, who saw the attack, tried to intervene. But they, too, were attacked.

The group involved in the assault left after one of Mr Omar's brothers told their victim to not bully Mr Omar any more.

Mr Haziq did not seek medical attention after the assault.

The New Paper understands that his injuries were light.

This article by The New Paper was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

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