Couple repeatedly kicks man after knocking him out at Orchard Plaza lift lobby, sentenced to jail & fine
A married couple who attacked a man in a lift lobby at Orchard Plaza and continued kicking him even after he had lost consciousness has been sentenced to jail and a fine.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
The pair, Poh Guan Jun and Loh Shin Hwee, Shirlyn, both 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (7 Oct) to their respective charges of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and using criminal force.
Argument breaks out after couple blocks victim from entering lift
According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at about 3.22am on 19 Jan this year at the lift lobby on the fourth floor of Orchard Plaza.
Earlier that night, the couple had been drinking with two friends at a lounge in the same building, where they consumed three bottles of hard liquor.
The group later decided to move to another lounge at Cuppage Plaza.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
When they reached the lift lobby, six other people were already waiting, including the 26-year-old male victim, who was studying at a university in the United Kingdom and had returned to Singapore for the winter holidays.
To let her husband and friends enter first, Loh deliberately stood in front of the lift doors, blocking the victim’s path.
Poh, who was behind the victim, also extended his arm to stop him from going in.
The victim pushed Poh’s hand away, sparking a verbal dispute.
He then pulled Poh out of the lift and started making a phone call.
Husband punches man unconscious, couple continues kicking him
At that point, Poh suddenly punched the victim, sending him crashing face-first to the ground and knocking him unconscious.
Even after the victim had stopped moving, Poh continued the assault, kicking him in the face and the back of his head.
Loh joined in, kicking the unconscious man on his buttocks five times.
Poh then delivered two more forceful kicks to the victim’s face, pushing him about a metre across the floor, before stomping on his head. Only then did the couple leave the scene with their friends.
The victim remained motionless for several minutes before regaining consciousness around 3.27am. When he came to, he found himself lying in a pool of blood.
He was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where doctors found that he had suffered a fracture of the left eye socket floor and a laceration near his left eye.
His medical expenses totalled S$835.
Defence seeks leniency, citing newborn & financial hardship
The prosecution noted that Poh had targeted vulnerable areas of the victim’s body and continued the attack even after the man had lost consciousness.
They sought six to eight months’ imprisonment for Poh and a S$1,500 fine for Loh.
The court also heard that the couple had fully compensated the victim for his medical bills on 19 Sept.
In mitigation, the defence argued that the victim’s injuries were not permanent and did not require surgery, appealing for a lighter sentence.
They further revealed that the couple’s baby was born on 8 Sept, and that Loh was still in confinement until 9 Oct.
As Poh would lose his job following the conviction, the lawyer requested a deferral of his jail term to allow him time to settle his employment matters.
The judge granted the request, permitting Poh to begin serving his sentence next month.
Ultimately, Poh was sentenced to five months and two weeks’ jail, while Loh was fined S$1,200 for her role in the attack.
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Featured image adapted from Streetdirectory, for illustration purposes only.
