Fines for woman, elderly father who lost 3 teeth fighting parents in baby stroller dispute in Tampines mall lift
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- A father and daughter were penalised for engaging in a fight with a couple in a lift at Tampines One mall
- Yeow Beng Soon and his daughter, Yeow Wanyi, were ordered to pay a fine of S$600 and S$800 respectively
- The fight started after a baby stroller being pushed by Yeo Wen Zhen accidentally hit Yeow Wanyi's foot
- As a result of the fight, Yeow Beng Soon, now aged 71, lost three teeth
BY
NIKKI YEO
Published February 22, 2024Updated February 23, 2024
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SINGAPORE — A man and his daughter were handed fines of S$600 and S$800 respectively, after a physical fight with a couple in a lift at Tampines One mall that caused the father to lose three teeth.
Yeow Beng Soon, 71, and his 41-year-old daughter Yeow Wanyi each pleaded guilty to a count of affray on Thursday (Feb 22).
On July 5 last year at around 7.30pm, the Yeows entered a lift in Tampines One on the fourth floor, together with three other people.
When the lift later stopped at the third floor, a couple — Pan Guo’en, 32, and Yeo Wen Zhen, 30 — entered with their two young daughters and infant son, who was in a stroller.
The stroller, being pushed by Yeo, accidentally hit Yeow Wanyi’s foot, sparking a verbal dispute between the two women.
This quickly escalated into a physical fight in which the older man and his daughter fought with Pan and Yeo, as the opposing two pairs grabbed, pushed and punched each other.
The incident was captured by the lift’s closed-circuit television camera.
In footage aired in court, Pan and Yeo’s young daughters can be seen leaving the lift, while members of the public tried to separate the brawling foursome.
The court heard that the fight ended abruptly about two minutes later when the lift reached the basement-one level.
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Later in the day, Yeow and his daughter sought medical treatment at Changi General Hospital, but the couple did not.
The daughter’s medical report stated that she was diagnosed with musculoskeletal pain and she was granted medical leave for two days.
Her father’s two medical reports stated that he had a hand contusion, shoulder and dental injuries. Radiographs also revealed that he had severe periodontitis, or gum disease. He was given four days of medical leave.
Mr Ng Ser Chiang of law firm Elitaire Law, who represented the Yeows, said that the case was a “trivial matter” that unfortunately escalated as each pair aimed to “protect their own”.
He argued that while his clients had “overreacted”, the fight happened in the lift and was not in full view of the public, and did not last for longer than two minutes.
Mr Ng sought a lower fine of S$500 for Yeow Beng Soon and said that his client had lost three teeth in the fight.
He added that there was a “power difference” between the older Yeow and the couple fighting him due to his age.
The prosecution and Mr Ng agreed that a S$800 fine should be meted out to Yeow Wanyi, in line with the fines for Pan and Yeo.
The cases of Pan and Yeo concluded on Feb 7. They were each ordered to pay a S$800 fine for the same incident.
In reply, State Prosecuting Officer A Majeed Yosuff acknowledged that Pan was “bigger and more aggressive” than the older man, but said that the public could have still seen the incident since the lift doors were open during the fight.
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Those who are convicted of committing affray can be jailed for up to a year or be fined up to S$5,000, or receive both punishments.
