Man smirked as assault charges were read out in court
A 27-year-old who visibly smirked and smiled to himself as his charges were read out in court on June 14 was given a two-month jail sentence over his assaults on two seniors.
Xing Jiwu – appearing via video link – pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to the victims, aged 69 and 64.
The acts occurred within a span of five minutes in the Haig Road area.
State Prosecuting Officer A. Majeed said Xing, a Singaporean, was in Haig Road on April 4 at 6.15am when he spotted a 64-year-old man walking towards a bus stop.
The latter was using an umbrella as a walking aid. Xing ran towards the man from behind and pushed him on the back, causing the victim to fall and hit his head on a railing.
Xing fled the scene, running to a park connector, where he saw a 69-year-old woman feeding stray cats in Carpmael Road. He headed towards her from the front and elbowed her in the chest. She fell and the back of her head hit the ground.
A motorist who witnessed the incident stopped to assist her before making a police report. Xing had run away by then.
The court heard that the man received two stitches on his forehead and sprained his elbow and back from the fall. The woman suffered from bodily pain and swelling on the back of her head.
Xing was arrested on April 9. On June 14, when given a chance to offer mitigating factors for his actions, he declined to do so, simply saying he admitted to the offences.
After his sentence was meted out, he flashed two thumbs up at the video screen.
For voluntarily causing hurt, one can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
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