SINGAPORE — After a drunken night out with friends at Orchard Towers, a former property agent not only evaded his taxi fare but rained punches on the elderly driver who tried to stop him.

On Wednesday (June 12), Denis Ong Weiwen, 34, was jailed 22 months and fined S$2,700 on four charges, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt and fare evasion, and two counts of encouraging others to shelter immigration offenders.

Two other charges were taken into consideration in sentencing Ong, who pleaded guilty on May 31.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Ong could have been jailed up to 10 years, and fined or caned. For each count of immigration offence, he could have been jailed between six months and two years, and fined up to S$6,000.

WHAT HAPPENED

At about 5.15am on March 5, Ong and his girlfriend left a pub at Orchard Towers intoxicated and flagged down a taxi.

They were heading home after late-night drinks with Ong’s friends, court documents revealed.

In the cab, Ong shouted aggressively at 72-year-old driver Wong Loke Siow to take his girlfriend to her Bedok South home before dropping him off at Simei.

Court documents did not state what led Ong to shout in the vehicle.

When the taxi pulled up at his Simei home half an hour later, Ong was about to alight when Mr Wong reminded him that he had to pay the S$27 fare.

This enraged Ong, who then verbally abused and gestured aggressively at the driver.

Mr Wong called the police immediately when Ong left the vehicle without paying.

While waiting for police officers to arrive, both men began smoking.

But Ong later flicked the cigarette out of Mr Wong’s hand and replaced it with a S$2 note. As Mr Wong held on to the note, Ong punched him in the face and began chasing the driver around the carpark.

Catching up with Mr Wong, Ong pinned him to the ground by pressing his knees against the man’s ribs, and dealt multiple blows to his face and head.

The assault lasted 20 seconds and Mr Wong could not defend himself, pleading in Hokkien for Ong to stop.

When he did, the taxi driver tried to sit up, but Ong threw another punch at his face that sent him back to the ground.

From his bedroom window, 67-year-old resident Ho Khek Wee witnessed the assault and recorded it on his phone. The footage was later handed over to the police.

The scuffle left Mr Wong with multiple facial abrasions, a nasal fracture and damage to his eyes. He could not drive his taxi for 16 days.

As a result, the taxi driver chalked up S$2,128.57 in medical expenses, taxi rental, lost income, and the S$27 fare.

IMMIGRATION OFFENCES                                                             

Ong was also arrested by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on May 24 last year for his role in giving shelter to immigration offenders for a commission.

According to documents from the ICA, Chinese national Wang Xiaoyan and her compatriot Sang Chunhua had approached Ong in August 2016 and promised him S$1,000 if he could find them a two-bedroom unit for them to stay.

Ong eventually found a unit at Lorong Melayu, but as both women were work permit holders and were unable to sign the tenancy agreement, he suggested that they find a Singaporean to do so on their behalf.

Sang approached her Singaporean friend Pong Poh Choy to assist.

Prior to signing the agreement, Ong coached Pong to tell the owners of the Lorong Melayu unit that he was a divorcee and his daughter would be staying with him twice a month.

After the signing of the tenancy agreement, Sang paid the promised commission fee. Both women moved in on Sept 1, 2016 and continued residing there until they were arrested five days later.

ICA’s investigations revealed the Wang had been residing in Singapore illegally for a period of nine days. 

Separately, Ong had gotten to know that his masseuse Zeng Liju was searching for a place to stay around August 2016. This time round, Ong was offered a higher commission of S$1,300.

Ong subsequently told the Chinese national that he had found her a place to stay at Saint Michael Road.

The ICA said that sometime between September and October 2016, Ong told Pong that he would pay him S$500 to help in his scheme again.

Just like the first case, Pong agreed to sign the tenancy agreement for the unit at Saint Michael Road on behalf of Zeng.

Zeng paid Ong his commission, and she moved into the unit on Oct 18, 2016 and was arrested nine days later. 

The ICA said that Zeng had overstayed in Singapore for 21 days.