Victim had reconstructive surgery after 'barbaric' attack

Victim had reconstructive surgery after 'barbaric' attack
Wee Boon How was out on bail when he attacked the man at Golden Mile Complex.
PHOTO: The New Paper

A food stall attendant has been jailed for a "barbaric" attack on a man he accused of staring at him.

Wee Boon How, 24, was out on bail for an earlier rioting offence when he attacked Mr Bong Hong Yun, 26, in a fight at Golden Mile Complex that was captured on video and went viral.

Wee was jailed for three years and nine months yesterday after pleading guilty to causing grievous hurt to Mr Bong. He also admitted to two rioting charges.

Describing Wee's attack on Mr Bong as "barbaric", District Judge Marvin Bay noted the older man had to undergo reconstructive surgery for facial fractures.

The judge added: "There is no place for acts of wanton group violence... in modern-day Singapore, and especially for trivial reasons such as from staring or swearing incidents, where in this case the violence was truly grossly disproportionate to any known provocation."

The court heard that Wee was first arrested after he and at least two men ganged up to attack a 20-year-old man at an Orchard Road nightspot, leaving the victim with cut lips, in April 2017.

Police questioned Wee and he was out on bail when he went to Golden Mile Complex at around 3am on Oct 11 that year. He accused Mr Bong of staring at him and a fight broke out.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhou Yihong said: "Sometime during the fight... the victim fell onto the ground. The accused did not stop the fight but continuously threw punches at the victim's face until the victim turned unconscious... The accused bent down over the victim and continued to throw multiple punches on the victim's face."

After that, Wee stomped on and kicked Mr Bong in the face multiple times before leaving the scene.

Wee was charged in court later that month. He was out on bail again when he got involved in a rioting offence, in which he ganged up with four others to assault Mr Benjamin Woon Boon Hock, 32, at a St James Power Station nightspot.

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

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