A Norwegian tourist has been jailed for six weeks in Singapore, after he assaulted two taxi-drivers in a drunken state. The man became angry after being misheard by a driver, following which he hit him. Another driver, who tried to stop the fight, was beaten up as well.
The 43-year-old Tore Robech was sentenced to a six weeks' jail term on Monday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of 'voluntarily causing hurt,' among which one count was taken into account.
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Real estate agent Robech approached taxi-driver Foo Chai Teng for a ride to Nostalgia Hotel at around 3 am on July 20, 2017. After Foo misheard him and said that there was no such hotel, Robech became upset and started punching him. He also kicked Foo in the face, before the driver grabbed his leg.
Another taxi-driver, Jumaidig Mohamed Siti, came to the scene to break up the fight, but Robech flung a shoe at his taxi, scraping off a part of the front's paint. Following this, he kicked Siti on the chest. The entire incident was witnessed by a police officer on patrol.
Siti suffered from chest pain after the attack and also had a strain in his chest cavity. His chronic lower-back pain also resurfaced, due to which he had to take six days' medical leave. Foo's injuries included wounds in the right shoulder, right wrist, and right little finger, as reported by Today Online.
Robech's lawyer, Chandra Mohan K Nair, said that Robech was truly sorry for his deed. "The experience has brought him a great deal of sadness and shame," the lawyer added, stating that Robech had "acted on impulse, and there was no degree of deliberation to cause injury". He had arrived in Singapore only a day before this happened.
The accused will now be jailed for six weeks, whereas he could have got up to two years' jail term and a fine of S$5,000 for each charge.
