Drunk man pleads guilty to assaulting PHV driver in Clementi
A British man recently pleaded guilty to assaulting an elderly private hire vehicle (PHV) driver while he was drunk.
The latter was later found with a fractured skull.
As the prosecution could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that he had intentionally caused the injury, the man avoided a charge of voluntarily causing hurt.
Man falls asleep in back of PHV after drinking beer
23-year-old British national Oruche Morgan Fidelis committed the act on 12 June 2024.
At around 5pm, he and his boss met two clients for alcoholic drinks at a pub in Circular Road.
Source: mediaphotos on Canva, for illustration purposes only
He drank three pints of beer, travelled to a bar in Marina Bay, and consumed two more pints of alcohol.
At 10.30pm, he booked a Grab ride home to Clementi, falling asleep with his AirPods on.
The 66-year-old victim, Low Ek Yong, arrived outside Oruche’s home at around 11pm.
He tried to wake his passenger, but was unsuccessful.
According to the prosecution, the victim alighted the vehicle and tried to shake Oruche awake.
Drunk British man accused of shoving PHV driver to the ground
The prosecution accused Oruche of subsequently becoming infuriated, rushing towards Mr Low, and shoving him over.
The victim was found in a minimally conscious state, and later diagnosed with a fractured skull and a brain injury.
Oruche initially pleaded not guilty to a charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
During the trial, he claimed to have stumbled out of the car and did not recognise the person shaking him.
He further alleged that Mr Low had punched him and he reacted in self-defence.
After the trial, the judge amended the charge to assault, which Oruche pleaded guilty to.
Judge says prosecution did not prove drunk man voluntarily caused injury
Mr Low died of heart disease and large bowel obstruction on 14 June 2025.
Without the victim to testify, the only objective evidence was CCTV footage from another house.
Shin Min Daily News reported it as only showing Oruche calmly taking off his AirPods and rushing towards Mr Low. The amended charges also allege that he made an aggressive gesture with his left hand.
District Judge John Ng stated that the medical evidence could not determine whether Mr Low’s skull fracture was caused by being pushed over, struck, or from tripping in reaction to Oruche’s actions.
Judge Ng opined that the prosecution did not prove without a reasonable doubt that Oruche voluntarily caused the injury.
As a result, he amended the charge to assault.
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Prosecution to appeal judge’s verdict
On 7 Sept, he sentenced Oruche to a five-day short detention order (SDO).
An SDO requires the offender to be detained in prison, but will not leave a criminal record.
Oruche was also sentenced to perform 100 hours of community service within a year, under supervision of an officer.
The prosecution has filed an appeal against the verdict.
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Featured image adapted from mediaphotos on Canva, for illustration purposes only, and MS News.
