Passenger jailed for hitting cabby's face after being told to stop hitting taxi roof

The driver was given two days of medical leave.

Matthias Ang | December 31, 2019, 10:13 AM

32-year-old Muhammad Fadly Rosli was sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment and ordered to compensate the medical bills of a 49-year-old taxi driver, Andy Lim, for hitting his face during a dispute while still in the vehicle.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the incident took place on Jul. 31 earlier this year.

Fadly had hailed the cab together with three other passengers from Orchard Towers, two other men and a woman, at 11.05 pm.

Dispute arose after passengers repeatedly hit the roof of taxi

While en route to their destination, Sumang Walk, the four passengers behaved in a rowdy manner and repeatedly hit the roof of the taxi.

Lim warned them not to do so, out of safety concerns. However, they did not stop.

A dispute eventually broke out between Lim, another passenger, and Fadly, who hit the driver on the left side of his face.

Left the taxi, then returned to pay fare

Lim then decided to drive in the direction of the nearest police station.

However, upon stopping at a traffic junction in Ang Mo Kio, all four passengers alighted from the car.

Fadly returned with one other passenger to pay the fare. Lim then called the police.

CNA reported that Lim said to the police that he had been hit and was driving around to find the passengers.

Driver felt compelled to drive to a police station

Lim then went to the Accident and Emergency Department at Sengkang General Hospital for medical treatment.

A doctor found that he suffered a contusion on his face and he was given two days of medical leave.

Fadly was charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ho Jiayun also pushed for a compensation order to be imposed on Fadly, to cover Lim's medical bills, CNA further reported.

Ho noted that Lim was so affected and fearful of the incident that he felt "compelled" to drive to a police station.

She added that he was at greater risk of violence given his "frontline" status as a public transport worker.

For committing an offence under Section 323 of the penal code, Fadly could have been imprisoned for up to two years, fined S$5,000, or both.

Top photo via Google streetview.