Singapore Attorney General to appeal sentence of UK man who assaulted Grab driver who later died

SINGAPORE: A 22-year-old man assaulted a Grab driver over two years ago. The man had been drunk, and the driver passed away a year after it occurred. On Sep 7 (Monday), the man was sentenced by the State Courts to a short detention order (SDO) of five days, as well as 100 hours of community service.

However, on Wednesday, Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) called the sentence “manifestly inadequate” and added that it has filed two notices of appeal with the High Court, which will be heard at a later date.

The backstory 

On Jun 12, 2024, a private hire vehicle driver named Low Ek Yong, then 65, picked up his final passenger for the day, Oruche Morgan Fidelis, at around 10:30 pm.

The 22-year-old Oruche is a British citizen and Singapore permanent resident.

Oruche had consumed alcohol before booking a Grab ride home. After getting into Mr Low’s vehicle, fell asleep after putting in a pair of AirPods. When they arrived at his home at around 11 pm, Mr Low endeavoured to wake him up.

However, the passenger grew angry and pushed him away. Mr Low later hit his head on the ground. This fractured his skull and caused him to sustain a brain injury.

When Oruche’s father came out of the house, he saw Mr Low on the ground and called for an ambulance. Oruche was arrested at 4 am on Jun 13.

Mr Low, meanwhile, was admitted to hospital and discharged on Aug 7, 2024, and never regained full consciousness after the incident. He passed away a year later, in June 2025, at age 66, albeit from other causes. According to reporting from CNA, Mr Low died of heart disease and large bowel obstruction.

Oruche was initially charged with voluntarily causing hurt resulting in grievous hurt, for which he claimed trial.

After the trial, he entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of assaulting the victim. District Judge John Ng convicted him of the lowered charge.

The judge noted that how Mr Low sustained his skull fracture and brain injury could not be determined, and could have occurred either from an assault or from having tripped and fallen.

AGC’s appeals

The appeals from the AGC involve the amendment of the charge against Oruche and the sentence he received. CNA noted that individuals who are sentenced to an SDO have no criminal record after serving their sentences.

For voluntarily causing hurt resulting in grievous hurt, Oruche could have gone to jail for as long as five years, been fined as much as  S$10,000, or both.

A person convicted of assault, meanwhile, may receive a three-month jail sentence, a maximum fine of up to S$1,500, or both. /TISG

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