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Riled by the noise and fumes of a car parked in front of him, a man who was dining at a restaurant and seated at an outdoor table threw his food at the car, and argued with the driver.

The accused Chew Thiam Huat, 56, faced four charges, including two harassment charges.

Chew pleaded guilty to one charge of behaving in a disorderly manner and another of committing a rash act that endangered human life or the personal safety of others.

What happened?

The incident took place on Aug. 16, 2020, at Lao You Ji Fishhead Steamboat along Outram Road.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the victim, Lim Zhen Long, stopped his car outside the restaurant where Chew and his girlfriend were having a meal at an outdoor table.

Accompanied by his wife and friend, Lim stepped out of his car to smoke a cigarette with them some distance away without turning off his engine.

As Lim's two young daughters remained in the car, Lim left the engine running to keep the air-conditioning switched on for them and to warm up his engine.

A restaurant staff informed Lim that someone was upset about leaving the engine running. Lim immediately snubbed out his cigarette and returned to his car.

By the time he arrived, he noticed that someone had thrown food all over his car and his daughters were crying, having been startled.

A confrontation

Chew overheard Lim asking the restaurant staff who the culprit was and confronted Lim, admitting that it was him because his car was "noisy and smelly".

While Lim and Chew were arguing, Lim's wife and friend returned. Lim's wife wiped the food off the car while Lim's friend stood by Lim's side to find out what happened.

Chew subsequently challenged both Lim and his friend to a fight and shouted a Hokkien profanity at them.

Out of anger, Lim flipped a plate of leftover food that was not hot at Chew. Chew then "lurched forward" and threw an unknown object at Lim and his friend in retaliation.

Both men were able to dodge it. Lim's friend subsequently threw a chair at the accused.

To prevent the situation from escalating, an unknown person restrained Chew, while he continued arguing with Lim and his friend.

Court case

According to Shin Min Daily News, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Samyata Ravindran pointed out, Chew did not consider the two young girls in the vehicle, causing them unnecessary distress, and sought for a week's imprisonment.

Chew pleaded for leniency and stated that he had been in remand for more than a month. He was sentenced to a term of seven days in jail.

His sentence will be backdated to Feb. 23, 2021, Today reported.

Any offence of disorderly behaviour is punishable with a maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.

Any rash acts that endanger human life or the personal safety of others is punishable with a maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment, a fine of up to S$2,500, or both.

Top images by Bamboo Chu on Google Maps and @jieluo_daniel on Instagram.