By Teo Xuanwei | Posted: 26
August 2010 1604 hrs 
SINGAPORE: In what was a rare decision to spare a road
rage offender jail time, the High Court on Thursday ruled that a
motorcyclist, who had punched the driver of a car, had acted after
being provoked.
The court heard that French national, Christophe Georges Andre
Mille, was riding along Jalan Bahar on August 27, 2008, when Mr
Chong Yuen, 54, cut into his lane.
He brushed against Mille's motorcycle, almost causing him to
fall.
When the pair stopped at a traffic junction, a quarrel broke out
and the 34-year-old Frenchman punched Mr Chong. When Mille rode
off, Mr Chong followed him and stopped in front of the motorcyclist
to prevent him from leaving.
The car again collided into the motorcycle.
The Frenchman had been sentenced to one week's jail by a district
court in March.
Appealing against the sentence on Thursday, defence counsel Suresh
Damodara said his client lashed out because Mr Chong's unsafe
driving could have caused him to fall.
Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong agreed, saying that motorcyclists and
cyclists were often the victims in fatal road accidents.
He allowed the appeal and fined Mille S$2,000 instead.
- CNA/ir
