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10 stitches for asking man to move car
http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/Story/A1Story20090517-142005.html
ALL he wanted was for the driver to shift his car.
For that, he was punched so hard twice that he needed 10 stitches and possibly suffered a permanent scar on his lip.
Retiree Lee KW, 63, and his wife, had driven to the Sembawang Hill Food Centre along Upper Thomson Road to have breakfast on Wednesday.
But when he got there, he found the entrance to the carpark blocked by a black Toyota Camry that had been parked in front of another stationary car.
He left his wife in his car, without switching off his engine, and went to tell the driver not to park there as he was blocking other vehicles from entering the carpark.
The Toyota driver had just locked his car and was about to enter the food centre.
'I approached him and told him that this is not his private carpark, and that he should park further in instead of blocking the entrance,' said Mr Lee.
'The man argued that I myself had parked my vehicle at the side of the road. I could see that his face was turning red and he looked ready to fight.'
By this time, Mr Lee's wife had stepped out and joined him.
Sensing the man's anger, the couple quickly walked towards the food centre to avoid a fight.
But the man threw a punch at Mr Lee's upper lip as they walked by, Mr Lee said.
'I turned to react, but before I knew it, he had punched my nose and I fell to the ground,' he said.
Said Mrs Lee: 'The incident happened so quickly. Before I knew it, he was bleeding so badly from the nose and lips that his shirt was soaked with blood.'
The other driver, meanwhile, went into the food centre with his female companion.
Mr Lee then called the police and for an ambulance. When the police arrived, they took statements from the driver of the Toyota and Mr Lee.
Split lip
The force of the punch was so great that Mr Lee's upper lip split about 3cm . He received 10 stitches at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The Lees said the other driver looked to be in his 40s and 'rather big-sized'.
Said Mr Lee: 'He is not a warrior on a chariot, so there was no need for aggression at all. He needs to behave himself. What if I had hit my head, or if it was an elderly person who had been punched instead?'
The carpark at the food centre has only about 20 lots. It is chaotic even on weekday mornings, said regulars.
Mr Lee said: 'I want to bring this up so that such things will not happen in the future. I hope there will be witnesses who are willing to step forward.'
His son, sales manager Kelvin Lee, 33, has put up five A3-sized posters in both English and Mandarin on the pillars at Sembawang Hill Food Centre to appeal for witnesses.
The younger Mr Lee said: 'The police told me that if I can find my own witnesses, it would be good. So far, only one guy has called to offer me advice.' He is not a witness.
The police confirmed that they received a call at about 10am on Wednesday from a man who said he had been punched in the face.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Lawyer Amolat Singh says that in such cases, the victim has three options.
First, he can file a magistrate's complaint via the Subordinate Courts, which will then direct the police to investigate.
Second, he can also prepare his own private prosecution, in which he must prepare his own charges.
Third, the magistrate can also mediate between the victim and the alleged assailant. The court will send a letter to order the accused to attend the mediation.
The assailant could then make amends by compensating the victim for his medical expenses, apologise and give an undertaking not to do it again, said Mr Singh.
- Geraldine Yeo, newsroom intern
http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/Story/A1Story20090517-142005.html
ALL he wanted was for the driver to shift his car.
For that, he was punched so hard twice that he needed 10 stitches and possibly suffered a permanent scar on his lip.
Retiree Lee KW, 63, and his wife, had driven to the Sembawang Hill Food Centre along Upper Thomson Road to have breakfast on Wednesday.
But when he got there, he found the entrance to the carpark blocked by a black Toyota Camry that had been parked in front of another stationary car.
He left his wife in his car, without switching off his engine, and went to tell the driver not to park there as he was blocking other vehicles from entering the carpark.
The Toyota driver had just locked his car and was about to enter the food centre.
'I approached him and told him that this is not his private carpark, and that he should park further in instead of blocking the entrance,' said Mr Lee.
'The man argued that I myself had parked my vehicle at the side of the road. I could see that his face was turning red and he looked ready to fight.'
By this time, Mr Lee's wife had stepped out and joined him.
Sensing the man's anger, the couple quickly walked towards the food centre to avoid a fight.
But the man threw a punch at Mr Lee's upper lip as they walked by, Mr Lee said.
'I turned to react, but before I knew it, he had punched my nose and I fell to the ground,' he said.
Said Mrs Lee: 'The incident happened so quickly. Before I knew it, he was bleeding so badly from the nose and lips that his shirt was soaked with blood.'
The other driver, meanwhile, went into the food centre with his female companion.
Mr Lee then called the police and for an ambulance. When the police arrived, they took statements from the driver of the Toyota and Mr Lee.
Split lip
The force of the punch was so great that Mr Lee's upper lip split about 3cm . He received 10 stitches at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The Lees said the other driver looked to be in his 40s and 'rather big-sized'.
Said Mr Lee: 'He is not a warrior on a chariot, so there was no need for aggression at all. He needs to behave himself. What if I had hit my head, or if it was an elderly person who had been punched instead?'
The carpark at the food centre has only about 20 lots. It is chaotic even on weekday mornings, said regulars.
Mr Lee said: 'I want to bring this up so that such things will not happen in the future. I hope there will be witnesses who are willing to step forward.'
His son, sales manager Kelvin Lee, 33, has put up five A3-sized posters in both English and Mandarin on the pillars at Sembawang Hill Food Centre to appeal for witnesses.
The younger Mr Lee said: 'The police told me that if I can find my own witnesses, it would be good. So far, only one guy has called to offer me advice.' He is not a witness.
The police confirmed that they received a call at about 10am on Wednesday from a man who said he had been punched in the face.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Lawyer Amolat Singh says that in such cases, the victim has three options.
First, he can file a magistrate's complaint via the Subordinate Courts, which will then direct the police to investigate.
Second, he can also prepare his own private prosecution, in which he must prepare his own charges.
Third, the magistrate can also mediate between the victim and the alleged assailant. The court will send a letter to order the accused to attend the mediation.
The assailant could then make amends by compensating the victim for his medical expenses, apologise and give an undertaking not to do it again, said Mr Singh.
- Geraldine Yeo, newsroom intern
