Jail, caning for duo over violent assault

Two men were sentenced to jail and caning yesterday for their part in an assault on two friends as they left a nightclub.

Dinesh Kumar Ruvy swung a chopper at 28-year-old driver Logesvaren Subramanian, leaving him with a 10cm-deep cut and severed tendons in his forearm, which required an 11-hour operation and more than a month's hospitalisation leave.

His friend, Sashi Kumar Asogan, 29, was punched in the incident outside Checkmate Club at the Rendezvous Hotel, Bras Basah Road, in the early hours of March 21 last year.

Dinesh, 25, who is unemployed, was sentenced to 41/2 years in jail and six strokes of the cane, after admitting a single charge of rioting while armed with a deadly weapon.

His co-accused, Jai Ganesh Tanapolan, also 25, was given five years and six strokes of the cane, after pleading guilty to rioting and separate charges relating to a gang fight and stabbing. Two other charges were considered.

The two men had been part of a six-member unlawful assembly, the other four of whom have already been dealt with.

Investigations showed that Mr Logesvaren, his wife and self-employed driver Sashi Kumar joined friends at a party at Checkmate Club some time after midnight that day.

At about 2am, Mr Logesvaren and his friends were smoking outside when his friend Senthil told them he had been punched. Two men in Dinesh's group then came to confront Senthil before a bouncer clarified that Senthil had been hit accidentally.

Thinking the matter had been settled, Mr Logesvaren and his friends returned to the club and continued partying. They left at about 3.40am.

Mr Logesvaren was about to get into a taxi when the group of six attacked him and Mr Sashi Kumar, whose friends had left in a taxi.

The court also heard how Jai had been involved in a fight between rival gangs in River Valley Road, after a birthday celebration at a club at Liang Court shopping mall in October 2014.

The following month, he went to a flat in Bishan and cut a 17-year-old's face with a knife. He was joined by two other men who are currently serving jail terms.

elena@sph.com.sg

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