Drunk man refused to leave midnight train, chased assistant station manager and gave him concussion
Large panoramic single-frame windows on the Alstom Movia R151 train, the first of their kind on the North-South Line and East-West Line.
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BY
LYDIA LAM
Published October 11, 2023Updated October 11, 2023
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SINGAPORE — A 24-year-old man refused to leave a train that was headed for the depot and scuffled with the assistant station manager, leaving the latter concussed after pushing his head against the train door repeatedly.
Meenachisuntharam Pandiselvam was sentenced to four weeks' jail on Tuesday (Oct 10) for voluntarily causing hurt and fined S$800 for his conduct while drunk.
The court heard that Pandiselvam was in a train carriage at Punggol MRT Station at around 12.15am on Jan 16 this year.A 55-year-old assistant station manager deployed at the train station went to make sure no one stayed on the train before it returned to the depot.
The man saw Pandiselvam inside the carriage of a train at the platform and saw that he had bloodshot eyes and was walking unsteadily.
He was drunk, having consumed two 180ml bottles of vodka.
The assistant station manager told Pandiselvam that he had to exit the train, but Pandiselvam refused to leave.
The assistant station manager pulled Pandiselvam, along with his belongings, out of the train and onto the platform.
He helped Pandiselvam to his feet and asked him to gather his belongings and leave.
However, Pandiselvam became aggressive and started throwing his belongings around.
The assistant station manager tried to de-escalate the situation by helping Pandiselvam find his earpiece, which he had lost because he had thrown his belongings around the platform.
Despite this, Pandiselvam still did not leave the area. The assistant station manager told him at about 12.20am that the police would be called if he did not leave.
Pandiselvam turned aggressive and chased the assistant station manager, who ducked into a train cabin to avoid him.
The door closed behind Pandiselvam, who followed the assistant station manager into the train, and the pair began scuffling.
While they were on the floor of the train cabin, Pandiselvam pushed the assistant station manager against the train door, causing his head to hit the door several times.
The pair were eventually separated by another station employee.
"After being separated, the accused belligerently took off all his clothes except his underwear and proceeded to sit on a seat in the train cabin," said the prosecutor.
The victim went to a hospital with a concussion and abrasions over his jaw and elbow. He was given three days' of outpatient sick leave.
The prosecutor sought four to six weeks' jail and a fine of S$800 to S$1,000 for Pandiselvam.
He said Pandiselvam was the aggressor and was voluntarily intoxicated. Even after being restrained, he "continued to behave belligerently by taking off his clothes", said the prosecutor.
The victim also suffered injuries on a vulnerable part of his body — his head.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Pandiselvam could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both. CNA
