In September last year, Philip Ong Guo Xiang fought with a passer-by for one of the most bizarre reasons — the sighting of ‘Guan Yin Ma’, aka the Goddess of Mercy, in the sky.
The passer-by, a 62-year-old food delivery rider, told Ong that there was no such sighting as he told him, and called Ong a scammer.
The pair eventually got into a fight.
Ong was taken to court, facing other charges of assault as well, such as assaulting his wife by throwing hot water on her and punching her face.
On Tuesday (27 Sep), he was sentenced to 11 months and two weeks’ jail.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Ong and his wife, 34, were near Block 206 Bedok North Street 1 on 28 Sep 2021 for two reasons: buying a handphone screen protector and meeting their social worker.
When the couple were outside a social service office for a smoke break, they heard that there was something resembling ‘Guan Yin Ma’ in the sky. So they started taking pictures.
A wood carving of Guan Yin Ma. Source: Wikipedia
A 62-year-old food delivery rider passing by asked the couple what they were doing.
Ong explained the reason, and the rider started taking pictures with them. Unfortunately, he failed to see the resemblance, as Ong claimed.
The rider accused him of being a scammer and started taking photos of the couple. He also refused to delete the pictures after Ong demanded that he do so.
According to TODAY, the 62-year-old confronted and challenged Ong to a fight, threatening to have the couple beaten up if they entered the Lorong 20, Geylang area.
This angered Ong, who shoved and kicked the rider in the knee in retaliation.
A woman who was passing by witnessed the incident and called the police.
As for the rest of the charges Ong pleaded guilty to, they include:
For the last incident, he was upset as he couldn’t find his TraceTogether token at Bedok Point Shopping Centre.
But during mitigation, Ong asked for a chance, saying that he had apologised to his wife and she had forgiven him. He also stressed that he would do his best to control his behaviour next time.
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Featured image by MS News.
The fierce fight involved items like plates, bottles, containers and a chair.
LTA urged members of the public to avoid using these services for their own safety.
Many are concerned about the possibility of identity theft and heightened scams.
Other recyclables such as old books and magazines are also accepted.
The abrupt stop caused the PHV passenger to spill food all over the car's interior.
No matter why the chicken crossed the road, it should be safe while doing so.