Witness in Geylang attack trial: Accused taunted victim after beating him with pole

She saw two brothers lying on the ground when the brawl ended.

Yong Sian Moo, then 51, a chauffeur, and his younger brother Calvin Yong Sian Teck, then 47, a hairstylist, had been left behind when their friends ran away from the scene.

Madam Yu Ying Ying, a sales executive, said in a statement that she saw alleged killer Melvin Chan Guo Bao, now 33, standing next to the older Mr Yong while holding a 1m-long wooden pole.

The attack took place in 2011.

 Onlookers at the crime scene on Aug 5 2011. Mr Yang Xian Mu, 51-year-old driver, was killed in a fight in Geylang WANBAO FILE PHOTO

Mr Yong Sian Moo died the day after the attack.

Chan, who is on trial, was charged with one count each of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

On the third day of Chan's trial, the court heard that Chan, who was her boyfriend's friend, used the pole to hit the upper part of Mr Yong Sian Moo's body at least three times.

Madam Yu said: "Immediately after those strikes, I saw blood gushing out from (his head).

"Then Melvin kicked (him) hard about five times and shouted at him in Mandarin 'Is it enough?'."

BACK ALLEY

Chan allegedly committed these offences at a back alley between Lorong 11 and Lorong 13 Geylang at around 11.30pm on Aug 5, 2011.

Madam Yu said that before the fight, she had been sitting at a table at the back alley with her boyfriend, Mr Peter Poh Hong Leong, and his two friends. One was Chan and the other was Mr Ang Soo Kwai.

Chan and Mr Ang had been illegally selling cough syrup and sleeping pills there.

About two minutes later, she saw the roller shutter to the rear door of the nearby Authentic Teochew Seafood Claypot Porridge Shop being raised.

Madam Yu, who married Mr Peter Poh in 2013, said that about six men in their 50s stepped out of the eatery.

She said that one of them pointed his finger at her group and shouted in Hokkien: "Who was the one who closed the roller shutters?"

When Mr Ang replied that it was him, the court heard that the man immediately punched him in the face.

A fight broke out and Madam Yu said the situation became "chaotic".

Worried for Mr Peter Poh's safety, she ran to the nearby Shi Gong Tang Temple to alert his father, Mr Poh Chuan Seng. He rushed to the scene with two other men, Mr Wang Siew Loong and Mr Lim Kok Tiong.

The men joined in the fight.

Madam Yu said the brawl lasted about five minutes and she did not take part in it. She said she saw Chan's assault on Mr Yong Sian Moo.

She said: "At the same time, (Mr Ang) was kicking (Mr Calvin Yong) who was still lying on the ground."

She said that Mr Wang also grabbed a wooden pole and hit the hairstylist's head about two times "in a golf-like motion".

Madam Yu said: "At this point, Peter and his father walked over to Melvin and (Mr Wang). They stopped the duo from further assaulting the two subjects. (Mr Wang) threw the stick on the ground."

After that, she left the back alley with the Pohs and their friends.

The trial resumes today.

If found guilty of culpable homicide, Chan can be jailed for life or up to 20 years, fined and/or caned.
For voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, he can be jailed up to seven years, fined and/or caned.