A 55-year-old man has been sentenced to two years and nine months in jail for fatally assaulting his friend, resulting in the victim’s death days later.
On Oct 9, Eng Chee Hong pleaded guilty to charges of voluntarily causing hurt and driving under the influence in separate incidents.
DETAILS OF THE CASE
The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of January 1, when Eng, upset at the drunken behavior of 38-year-old Mr. Dao Van Chien, delivered a forceful punch to his friend’s face.
Eng and Mr. Chien were acquaintances, with the latter working at a nearby coffee shop frequented by Eng. The punch caused Mr. Chien to fall backwards and strike his head on the concrete floor. He succumbed to his injuries nearly four days later, dying in the hospital on January 4.
According to the report, Mr. Chien was knocked backwards by the punch, resulting in him striking his head on the concrete floor. The 38-year-old Vietnamese man succumbed to his injuries in the hospital nearly four days later, on January 4. Eng was granted a five-week postponement of his sentence after his lawyers stated that he wished to be with his terminally ill mother.
However, his sister decided not to continue as his bailor, stating in court, “I think it’s best for him to start serving his sentence. I don’t wish to be his bailor any more.”
When Eng was requested to speak with her, she was heard responding with “enough” in Mandarin, the report added.
District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan stated that the primary focus of sentencing in this case was to ensure retribution and deterrence.
“The sentence must clearly signal that those who resort to violence will have to pay heavily for the consequences of their deeds, especially in this case where death was caused to the victim”, the judge said according to the report.
He mentioned that there were various aggravating factors to take into account when determining his sentence.
One of these factors was the complete disproportion of Eng’s attack on Mr. Chien.
“Even if Eng was annoyed by the victim’s behavior, it was entirely unjustified for him to punch the victim so forcefully in the face. The victim posed no physical threat to him,” expressed Judge Koo.
He pointed out that even after Eng had struck Mr. Chien, he remained “completely callous and indifferent to the victim’s suffering” as he left Mr. Chien on the floor and continued to drink with his friends at another location.
“He has a number of hurt antecedents, which, while dated, do show he is unable to forsake his violent tendencies. This time, it led to the death of a victim,” said the judge.
“The tragic loss of the victim’s life in this case, and the pain and suffering this has brought to his family, will be a stain on the accused’s conscience for the rest of his life.”
The court learned that Mr. Chien’s family had traveled from Vietnam to attend the hearing. At least two relatives could be heard crying during the proceedings.
Eng, who had remained silent while being sentenced, later requested to address Mr. Chien’s family in open court. He expressed, “This is something that shouldn’t have happened. I truly want to apologise to all of you. I am sorry.”
Judge Koo stated that Eng would begin serving his sentence on October 10 if he could not find a new bailor by that date.
In conclusion, he offered, “For the victim’s family members… the court sends its deepest condolences. I hope that their pain will gradually soothe with the passage of time.”
Image via google for illustration
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