Caretaker attacks cabby for leaving toilet door open

Caretaker attacks cabby for leaving toilet door open

SINGAPORE - A cabby who had left the toilet door open while relieving himself was attacked by a cemetery caretaker for doing so.

For beating up the cabby, Soh Hun Seng, 59, was jailed for seven months by a district court yesterday. Soh had pleaded guilty to injuring Mr Gan Wee Beng by hitting him with an aluminium broomstick inflicting a fractured arm and a broken nose.

Soh also admitted to striking Mr Gan's wife, Ms Kong Lai Fun, who suffered a cut on her forehead.

Soh, a caretaker at the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery, had been drinking beer at a coffee shop in Potong Pasir Avenue 3 since 5am on Feb 4 last year.

Mr Gan, 56, was there for breakfast with Ms Kong, 52, a housewife.

At 9am, Mr Gan was relieving himself when Soh walked past the toilet and asked the cabby why he had left the door open.

This sparked off a quarrel and vulgarities were exchanged.

Soh armed himself with the broomstick and an empty beer bottle.

During the fray, Ms Kong tried to ward off the attack with her hands but Soh struck her on the forehead with the broomstick.

Mr Gan picked up a metal stool to ward off the blows but one landed on and fractured his left arm. Two of Soh's friends, Chio Boon Hean, 63, and an unidentified man, joined in the attack but Mr Gan was able to break free and run to the carpark.

Police then arrived and the victim was taken by ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Chio, a retiree, was arrested at his home on Feb 9 last year.

He has been issued with a police warning. Soh surrendered himself to the police two days later.

Pleading for a lenient sentence, defence counsel Raymond Ng said Mr Gan had refused to accept $5,000 in compensation.

Soh could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.


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