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A Singaporean man, Aziz Khan Sher Khan, 61, has been jailed for assaulting and stealing from a bus captain, who told him and another man, Ahmad Robinson, 70, to wear their masks properly.

Background

A reader had alerted Mothership to an incident where a bus captain was assaulted by the two men – Aziz and Ahmad – at around 10:50am on Nov. 2 along Loyang Avenue.

According to The Straits Times (ST), Aziz and Ahmad were drinking before they boarded the Go-Ahead Singapore bus at Selarang Halfway House bus stop.

The two men were sitting at the front of the bus, when 62-year-old bus captain, Hew Kim Keong, noticed they were drinking from their cans of beer and told them to wear their masks properly.

Hew reported the matter to the bus operator's control room and was instructed to stop the bus and lock the bus doors as a police report had been lodged.

Hew heeded the instructions and stopped at Loyang Avenue, when Ahmad and Aziz approached the bus cabin to confront him.

Both Ahmad and Aziz were angry and shouted and hurled vulgarities at Hew to open the doors, ST said.

Aziz grabbed Hew's shirt before returning to his seat, while Ahmad remained at the bus cabin and slapped the phone out of Hew's hand when the bus captain was trying to make a call.

This was when the fight broke out, and Aziz joined in to physically restrain the bus captain and snatched his phone away, while Ahmad entered the driver's cabin.

Ahmad proceeded to slap, punch and hit Hew's head and face, which fractured the tip of Hew's nasal bone.

According to CNA, a button was mistakenly pressed during the 12-minute assault, which caused the bus doors to open.

Both Ahmad and Aziz fled the scene, and Aziz escaped with Hew's wallet tucked into his pants.

Additional 24 days jail on top of 10 months sentence

Aziz was charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt, theft, and for his refusal to wear a mask properly, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

Additionally, it is understood that Aziz was on remission order from May 5, 2020 to Jan. 12, 2022, and breached his remission order when he committed the alleged offences on Nov. 2.

Aziz pleaded guilty to his charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt.

The prosecutor sought a jail sentence of 12 to 18 months, with an enhanced sentence of 24 days for breaching remission.

The prosecutor argued that the attack was one-sided, where both men "persistently assaulted" the bus captain, who did not retaliate, a result of self-intoxication, where both men were inebriated from consuming alcohol.

Other factors listed included the disruption to general commuters, and that the Go-Ahead Singapore bus captain was a "vulnerable front liner".

During the court hearings, it was revealed that Aziz had committed similar offences in the past.

Aziz was sentenced to 12 months jail in 2003 for assaulting or using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty.

He was sentenced to three months jail in 2009 for a similar offence of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from duty.

Most recently in May 2021, Aziz was sentenced to prison for a week for affray, where he also breached his conditional remission order.

The prosecutor noted that Aziz had reduced culpability as he mainly restrained Hew by holding on to Hew's left arm, while Ahmad delivered the blows during the assault.

Ultimately, Aziz was sentenced to jail for 10 months, and the additional 24 days enhanced sentence.

The offence of causing grievous hurt carries an imprisonment term of up to five years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

For breaching a remission order, an enhanced sentence not exceeding the remaining duration of the remission can be meted out to offenders.

Arrest warrant issued for Ahmad

From court documents seen by Mothership, Ahmad has been charged and his case is pending before the courts.

An arrest warrant has also been issued for Ahmad as he failed to turn up in court.

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Top image screenshot from video courtesy of Mothership reader