SINGAPORE — A 55-year-old man was fined S$4,500 on Tuesday (July 23) for pushing, then punching, a 69-year-old man he had almost collided into with his electric scooter.

Lim Kim Joo was riding his e-scooter around a block of flats in Yishun one evening last year when he assaulted the older man, Mr Edwin Yap.

Lim pleaded guilty to one charge of causing hurt. Another charge of harassing Mr Yap by shouting Hokkien vulgarities at him was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that on Nov 13 last year, at about 10.30pm, Mr Yap was walking along the pavement on his way home when he encountered Lim riding in his direction on his personal mobility device.

Lim narrowly missed Mr Yap and began scolding him. Mr Yap ignored the rebukes and continued walking.

Lim followed him and eventually caught up with him to confront him.

He pushed Mr Yap on the chest, causing the older man to stumble backwards and hit his right elbow against the letterbox behind him. Lim then punched him on the nose and challenged him to call the police.

Mr Yap did so, telling the officer handling the call: “Someone assault me here. No need ambulance. This guy is very violent.”

Lim went to the doctor three weeks later as he still felt some pain over his nose bridge. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ben Mathias Tan sought a fine of at least S$5,000.

He noted that Lim “acted with a degree of pre-meditation and deliberateness, in that the victim had disengaged by walking away but the accused caught up with the victim and confronted him”.

“Even after assaulting the elderly man, the accused continued hurling vulgarities at him,” the prosecutor added.

For causing hurt, Lim could have been jailed up to two years, or fined up to S$5,000, or both.