Jailed for hitting bus driver
ANGRY that the bus was travelling too slowly for his liking, Lam
Wee Yang, 59, scolded the driver before taking matters into his own
hands.
He hit the driver's head with the bag he was carrying and then
sent the bus swerving dangerously by grabbing the steering
wheel.
For hurting driver Wei Jin Guang and endangering the safety of
13 passengers on the bus, the coffee-shop assistant was jailed two
months and three weeks on Thursday by a district court.
Lam drank several bottles of beer after finishing his shift at a
Geylang coffee shop at 8pm. At 11.45pm, he boarded SBS Transit's
number 63 near Lorong 11 Geylang and took the seat behind the
driver.
The Singaporean grew impatient when the bus pulled out slowly
from the bus stop so as not to hit cars that were parked illegally
along the road. Lam started scolding the driver but Mr Wei, a
Chinese national, probably tried to diffuse the situation by
remaining silent.
Along North Bridge Road, Lam suddenly swung his plastic bag,
which contained his purchases of a packet of food and an alarm
clock, at Mr Wei. The driver activated the emergency button to
alert the SBS operations room that he was being attacked. Minutes
later, Lam grabbed the steering wheel, forcing the bus to halt.
According to SBS Transit, 11 of its workers were assaulted last
year down from 18 the previous year. Bus operator SMRT had six
cases in each of those years.
Lam could have jailed up to six months and/or fined up to $2,500
for endangering the safety of the other passengers. For hurting the
driver, he could be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to
$5,000.
-- ST,
His pair of eyes pa jiao already, never saw 'don't punch the
drivers' notice inside the bus. Never think of consequences, so
^&%*(#
One day, he should work at SBST or SMRT, then know about time
schedule liao.