The 52-year old male commuter who boarded SBS Transit bus without wearing a face mask was charged on Thursday (Sept 17) with assaulting the bus driver.
The man boarded Service 21 along Pasir Ris Drive 6 without a mask and only put it on after. He also hurled vulgarities at the bus driver.
Ja’afally Abdul Rahim, a Singaporean, faces two charges of voluntarily causing hurt and possessing an offensive weapon — specifically, a 12cm-long knife.
The bus driver, Mr Low Kok Weng, 39, stopped the bus two stops later, at the bus stop along Pasir Ris Drive 1 while waiting for the police.
The commuter then grabbed the Bus Captain’s neck and collar, holding on for more than a minute. He refused to let go even when the bus driver pleaded with him to do so.
In a Facebook post by SBS Transit Ltd, they wrote that “Our BC could be seen cowering with his arms shielding his face as the man started punching him repeatedly on the head. It was here that three young men who were at the bus stop rushed up the bus and tackled the assailant, dragging him out of the bus to the bus stop”.
Another one of our Bus Captains was assaulted on board our bus yesterday – and this time it lasted a good 12 minutes….
Posted by SBS Transit Ltd on Tuesday, September 15, 2020
SBS Transit wrote that the bus driver did not sustain any serious injuries but that he had been given medical leave of three days.
In a report by Today Online, Ja’afally told the court that he intends to plead guilty and will return to court on Oct 8. He remains out on bail of S$15,000.
If convicted of causing hurt, he could be jailed up to two years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.
If convicted of possessing an offensive weapon, he could be jailed up to three years and given at least six strokes of the cane. /TISG
