Man jailed 16 weeks for assaulting bus captain when told to wear mask
A 53-year-old man who assaulted a bus driver after he was told to put on a mask was sentenced to 16 weeks' jail yesterday.
Ja'afally Abdul Rahim, who is jobless, was also fined $1,000 for not wearing a mask.
0n Sept 15, at around 2.45pm, Ja'afally boarded SBS bus service 21 in Pasir Ris Drive 1 without wearing a mask.
Bus captain Low Kok Weng, 39, told Ja'afally to put on his mask as he walked to the back of the bus.
Unhappy, Ja'afally shouted at Mr Low, who could not understand what he was saying.
Ja'afally then became agitated and walked to the front of the bus to confront Mr Low.
Mr Low tried to calm Ja'afally down but to no avail.
As Mr Low started to drive off, Ja'afally continued scolding and gesticulating at him.
He did not relent and carried on berating the driver, pushing his shoulders a few times.
Unable to continue with the journey, Mr Low opened the doors for the passengers to alight.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Low said: "The accused used his fingers to pluck the victim's sunglasses from his face and threw them on the floor.
"The accused then pushed against the victim's shoulder and face as though he wanted to rip off the victim's face mask."
Ja'afally continued to confront Mr Low, who remained quiet.
He then grabbed Mr Low's vest and when Mr Low tried to resist and pull his hand away, Ja'afally rained blows on his face and the back of his head.
He stopped his assault only after he was pulled away by members of the public, who restrained him until the police arrived.
An ambulance took Mr Low to Changi General Hospital, where he was discharged with medicine for pain and given medical leave for three days.
For assault, Ja'afally could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
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