Husband jailed, wife fined for punching and kicking man after drunken lift dispute at Orchard Plaza
A married couple has been sentenced for their assault on a man during a drunken dispute, where the husband punched the man unconscious before kicking and stomping on him, while the wife joined in by kicking the man repeatedly.
Poh Guan Jun, 30, was jailed five months and two weeks, while his wife Sherlyn Loh Shin Hwee, 30, was fined $1,200 on Oct 7.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the assault took place at 3.22am on Jan 19 at the lift lobby on the fourth floor of Orchard Plaza.
Poh was charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt, while Loh was charged with using criminal force to cause injury to the victim.
Couple blocks victim from entering lift
According to court documents, the couple had been drinking with two friends at Orchard Plaza earlier that night, consuming three bottles of hard liquor. The group later decided to continue drinking in Cuppage Plaza.
When they arrived at the lift lobby, they encountered six other people waiting for the lift - including the 26-year-old victim, a Singaporean studying at a university in the United Kingdom who was back home for his winter break.
To allow her husband and friends to enter the lift first, Loh deliberately stood in front of the doors to block the victim's path. Poh, who was behind the victim, also stretched out his hand to stop him from entering.
The victim pushed Poh's hand away, which led to a heated argument.
Fight escalates
As the victim pulled Poh out of the lift and tried to make a phone call, Poh punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground and causing him to lose consciousness.
Poh proceeded to kick the victim's face and the back of his head, while Loh kicked the victim's buttocks five times.
Poh kicked the victim in the face twice more, causing him to slide about a metre across the floor, before stomping on his head. The couple then left the scene with their friends.
The victim remained unconscious throughout the attack and only regained consciousness at 3.27am, when he was found bleeding on the floor.
Victim left with serious injuries, including eye fracture
The victim, complaining of a headache and pain "over his left eye", was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital about an hour later.
A medical examination showed he had five injuries, including an eyelid laceration measuring about 2cm, a broken blood vessel in the eye, and an eye fracture, typically caused by blunt trauma.
The victim was discharged the same day at 5.45pm as his condition was stable.
On Sep 19, the couple compensated the victim about $835 for the full sum of his medical expenses.
