S
Sun Jian
Guest
Jun 11, 2010
FRACAS AFTER SCHOOL RUGBY MATCH
Teen pleads guilty to assault
<!-- by line --> By Selina Lum
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A FORMER student of St Andrew's Secondary School (SAS) admitted in court on Friday to assaulting two students of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) following a keenly contested rugby match that boiled over into a fracas. Chan Yu Tat, 16, pleaded guilty to one charge of causing hurt to a 15-year-old ACS(I) student on the evening of April 12 at a bus stop along Thomson Road, just outside the old Police Academy, where the match took place.
A second charge, of causing hurt to another ACS (I) student, also 15, will be taken into consideration for sentencing. All three boys were not rugby players, but supporters of their respective school teams. The match, which ACS (I) won 8-7, was marred by an ill-tempered end, with an SAS player hitting his opponent. This sparked an on-pitch invasion by students, parents and old boys from both camps. The Singapore School Sports Council is still investigating the fracas on the field.
After the match, the court heard, Chan approached the victim at the bus stop and punched him in the face. The blow, which medical reports show led to a nasal bone fracture, caused the victim to fall to the ground. Chan then left the scene, but his identity was later established and he was arrested. In mitigation, Chan, who is no longer in school and is working part-time as a packer, only said he was pleading for leniency. He was not represented.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong called for a pre-sentence report to see whether Chan, whose uncle and grandmother were in court on Friday, was suitable for probation. The offence he is convicted of carries a maximum jail term of two years' jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. The case will be heard again on July 9.
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