Man jailed 12 weeks for assaulting taxi driver during argument with fiancée in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A dispute occurred inside a taxi when the driver warned a couple and told them that if they did not stop fighting, he would make them get out of the car. The drunk man passenger then became angry with the driver, who then punched and choked him. The 53-year-old pleaded guilty to one charge of intentional assault and will face 12 weeks’ imprisonment. 

Case details

According to case investigations reported by Lianhe Zaobao, the suspect and his fiancée hailed a taxi on May 27, 2025, on Circular Road, heading to Serangoon Avenue 2. The couple had been drinking before riding the taxi, and as soon as they sat in the back seat, they started arguing. The suspect pushed the woman’s head, while she pinched his back. 

With this, the 66-year-old taxi driver tried to stop the two, saying that he would make them get out of the vehicle if they didn’t stop. However, the suspect barked at the driver and told him to shut up. He also kicked the taxi driver’s seat, punched him in the back of the neck, and used his elbow to strangle his neck for about 10 seconds. 

Due to the attacks, the taxi driver lost control and suddenly turned left from the fourth lane of the Central Expressway. The driver was so scared that he kept pressing the emergency button to call their headquarters and ask for help. Fortunately, he received a response when he was about to reach the destination. 

The suspect’s partner paid the fare and asked the driver not to call the police. She helped the drunk man out of the car, but did not close the door afterwards. 

The driver went to the Central Hospital for treatment and was diagnosed with a neck sprain, which required two days of sick leave. The suspect has made full reimbursement for the driver’s medical expenses.

The prosecutor declared that the suspect had a previous criminal record—he had been sentenced to one month in jail in 2001 for intentional assault, and faced 12 to 16 weeks in jail.

During sentencing, the judge gave the suspect 12 weeks’ jail time and allowed him to postpone his sentence until March 11 to give him time to settle with his elderly mother. 

Other related news

In similar news related to hot-tempered citizens, there was a report where a 28-year-old woman pleaded guilty to intentional assault alongside other charges after attacking four women in a row, including a 74-year-old woman and a 47-year-old female police officer investigating her case. She was then sentenced to 36 weeks in prison.

Read more about the story here.