Man convicted of racially aggravated attack on woman over mask wearing
Wong Xing Fong took issue with how the victim had worn her mask, before swearing at her using her race and kicking her in the chest.
Wong Xing Fong (left) and the woman's injuries. (Photos: TODAY, Parveen Kaur)
Lydia Lam
@LydiaLamCNA13 Jun 2023 05:00PM(Updated: 13 Jun 2023 06:00PM)
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SINGAPORE: A man was convicted by a court on Tuesday (Jun 13) after he cursed a woman based on her race and kicked her in the chest in 2021.
Singaporean Wong Xing Fong, 32, had taken issue with how the 57-year-old woman wore her mask while she was brisk walking.
The man claimed trial to one charge each of wounding the racial feelings of Madam Hindocha Nita Vishnubhai and voluntarily causing hurt in a racially aggravated way.
District Judge Shaifuddin Saruwan convicted him of both charges, finding Mdm Nita's evidence cogent, reliable and corroborated by a passer-by.
On May 7, 2021, Mdm Nita was brisk walking under a sheltered walkway next to Northvale Condominium along Choa Chu Kang Drive when Wong and his fiancee saw her.
Mdm Nita had her mask pulled down at the time as she was exercising, but Wong told her to "mask up". Mdm Nita gestured to them to indicate she was brisk walking.
The man approached her and swore at her. Mdm Nita tried to de-escalate the situation and told him: "God bless you."
Wong kicked her in the chest in what Mdm Nita described as a "flying kick". The victim fell and suffered various injuries while Wong ran away.
The incident drew comments from political leaders when it was reported, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong saying on Facebook that he was "very disappointed" and "seriously concerned" that a racist attack could happen in Singapore.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam called the attack "unacceptable".
Mdm Nita, a private tutor, testified at trial and said the incident made her feel it is "wrong to be Indian".
Wong was defended by Drew & Napier lawyer Sim Bing Wen. Wong characterised Mdm Nita as sarcastic and aggressive, and claimed she had spat at him and his fiancee.
The prosecution rubbished this claim, pointing to a testimony from an eyewitness that contradicts it.
The judge said the case hinged on the issue of witness credibility. The defence had attacked the credibility of Mdm Nita and other prosecution witnesses, but the judge found them to be credible.
He found that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court heard that Wong has previous convictions – in 2013, he was fined for theft, and in 2015, he was sentenced to a year's jail for molestation.
He will return to court for mitigation and sentencing in July.
The penalty for voluntarily causing hurt is a maximum jail term of three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both. As the offence is racially aggravated, the punishment may be harsher.
The penalty for deliberately wounding a person's racial feelings is a jail term of up to three years, a fine or both.
