SINGAPORE: Upset with a man he had earlier argued with, a man standing on a pavement threw a bottle at the other man, who was seated on the upper deck of a double-decker bus.
The bottle broke through a window of the SMRT bus and struck the man’s wife, cutting her cheek.
Quztaza Kamarudin, 38, was sentenced to seven months and two weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Dec 24) and ordered to pay compensation of S$3,038.58 (US$2,369).
If he does not pay the compensation, he will have to serve another 20 days in prison
He had earlier pleaded guilty to one count each of committing a rash act, mischief and theft. Five other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
At about 5.30pm on Jul 5 this year, Quztaza and his friends boarded a double-decker SMRT bus on service 190 from Bukit Panjang.
While on the upper deck, Quztaza drank from a bottle of soju. About an hour later, he and his friends wanted to alight at a bus stop near The Heeren along Orchard Road.
At the top of the staircase leading to the lower deck, Quztaza and one of his friends found their path blocked by a couple, Mr Lim Phang Kai and his wife, whose name was not revealed in court documents.
Quztaza and Mr Lim exchanged vulgarities before Quztaza alighted.
Mr Lim and his wife then sat down on the upper deck, with the woman seated closer to the window.
The bus moved off but stopped at a red traffic light shortly after. Quztaza and his friend walked past the bus on the pavement.
Quztaza then saw Mr Lim make an obscene gesture at him. Angered, Quztaza hurled the bottle of soju at the window where Mr Lim was seated on the upper deck.
The bottle broke through the glass and struck Mr Lim’s wife on her left cheek, causing lacerations.
Quztaza walked away, but his actions were captured on closed-circuit television cameras from the bus and from The Heeren.
The victim was conveyed to hospital, where doctors found lacerations on her cheek that required stitches. She was given five days of medical leave.
Repairs to the broken bus window cost about S$2,708.40. No restitution had been made as of the date Quztaza pleaded guilty.
Quztaza was arrested on Jul 8, produced in court a day later and released on bail.
STOLE WHISKY
In the early hours of Jun 26 this year, Quztaza decided to steal a bottle of liquor from a 7-Eleven store after legal alcohol sale hours, as he wanted to drink.
He took a bottle of Chivas Regal whisky worth S$78, hid it in his right pocket and left the store, which is along Circular Road in Boat Quay.
The store manager noticed the alcohol was missing and checked the closed-circuit television footage. He identified Quztaza as a possible suspect and approached the manager of a bar for help.
Quztaza was later spotted with the unopened bottle, and the police were called. The bottle, which had a damaged seal, was returned to the store, and Quztaza was arrested.
He was again produced in court, and his bail was revoked following the theft.
The prosecution sought seven to eight months’ jail, highlighting the high degree of rashness in Quztaza’s actions.
“The accused threw the bottle with such force and speed that it broke the thick window panel of the bus and hit the victim,” Deputy Public Prosecutor Intan Suhaily Abu Bakar said.
“Throwing a glass bottle at a window pane had a high risk of injuries to others, and it was fortuitous that the injuries were not serious and that the glass shards did not hurt the victim’s face more badly.”
The prosecution added that at the time, about half of the upper deck was filled with passengers, with most seated at the front where the bottle was thrown.
“Thus, there was a risk of the bottle hitting the other passengers as well. There was also a risk that the bottle could have bounced from the second level window instead of breaking it and hit other members of public … walking along the pavement outside The Heeren.”
The prosecution told the court that the bus service had to be stopped and passengers had to alight to find other means of transportation.
For the rash act, Quztaza could have been jailed for up to a year, or fined up to S$5,000, or both.
For theft, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.
For mischief, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
