S'pore cyclist, 38, gestures overtaking car to 'watch out', female driver & male passenger get down to beat him up

They were arguing over the "right of way" and claimed the cyclist swung his bicycle at them.

Daniel Seow | June 02, 2023, 03:00 AM

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When a male cyclist felt a car was driving too close to him, he gestured and shouted, "Watch out!"

The female driver then got down the vehicle with a male passenger to argue over the "right of way" — and eventually they beat him up together.

Ariel Fong, 30, the driver, and Phua Xuan Yew Javier, 28, the passenger, pleaded guilty on May 30, 2023, to voluntarily causing hurt to the 38-year-old cyclist.

Fong, who had another similar charge taken into consideration, was sentenced to a S$4,000 fine, while Phua was handed a S$3,500 fine.

The incident

According to court documents, Fong picked Phua up from Bugis on the day of the incident at about 10pm to send him home.

They passed by Lorong K Telok Kurau en route to Phua's home at about 11pm.

As there were cars parked along her side of the two-lane road, she decided to overtake them and drove into the opposite lane.

Meanwhile, the male cyclist and his female friend were riding their bicycles towards her in the opposite lane.

The cyclist felt Fong was driving too closely towards him and decided to shout, "Watch out!", while gesturing at the car.

Fong continued forward after driving past the cyclist, but stopped the car as she claimed she heard a thud at the rear of her car.

She saw the cyclist had dismounted from his bicycle and gestured at her.

The dispute

Fong first alighted from the vehicle and approached the cyclist, who was standing at the entrance of The Cristallo condominium.

Phua also alighted and followed her.

Fong and the cyclist started arguing about who had the right of way, and in the middle of the argument, the cyclist apparently swung his bicycle at Fong.

Surprised, Phua pushed him away from Fong.

Fong angrily pulled down the cyclist's mask to identify him, and he questioned why she had to pull his mask.

The cyclist tried to leave with his friend and enter the condominium, but Fong grabbed his shirt and started punching his face.

Phua joined in, punching the cyclist in the head.

The assault

The cyclist's friend tried to stop their assault, but Fong instead turned to attack her by kicking her and pulling her hair.

Seeing this, the cyclist broke away from Phua and rescued his friend from Fong.

The cyclist's friend thereafter approached the condominium's guardhouse and asked the security guard to help call the police.

At the same time, the cyclist tried to escape to the guardhouse but was grabbed from behind by Phua and punched in the head.

The scuffle continued, with both of them falling to the ground.

Fong rejoined the fray, punching the cyclist's face and head and kicking his body.

Eventually, the cyclist's friend managed to rescue him and brought him to the guardhouse.

Fong and Phua left the scene in their car and returned home before the police arrived.

Medical fees over S$1,000

The cyclist sought treatment at a polyclinic the next day.

Clinical examination revealed that he had sustained a 1cm laceration on his lower lip and multiple abrasions to the back of his head.

He was also assessed to have bruising on his left cheekbone and nose and a mildly displaced nose fracture.

The cyclist was given two days of medical leave and visited Changi General Hospital the same day for a review.

The following day, he consulted an ear, nose and throat specialist for his injuries.

His medical expenses amounted to S$1,066.65, which were voluntarily compensated in full by Fong and Phua.

Claimed bicycle swinging was trigger

According to Shin Min Daily News, Fong's lawyer pointed out that the assault was not premeditated, as she had only retaliated when the cyclist swung the bicycle at her.

Phua's lawyer similarly pleaded for a lighter sentence and asked the judge to consider that he only intervened to "protect" Fong after the bicycle was swung at her.

The lawyers also highlighted that the duo are remorseful, as seen through their voluntary compensation.

Top image via Google Maps