Passengers jailed after assaulting Grab driver who tried to stop their argument
A pair of intoxicated passengers were jailed after they assaulted a Grab driver who tried to calm them down during a heated argument, leaving him with head injuries.
The altercation occurred at around 3am on July 4 last year, when private-hire driver Kerwin Tay was ferrying two male passengers on the PIE near Geylang Bahru.
According to Shin Min Daily News, one of the passengers, Goh Wee Leong, 34, faced seven charges and pleaded guilty on April 22 to one count each of the following:
- Voluntarily causing hurt
- Voluntarily causing grievous hurt
- An offence under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA)
The other passenger, Lee Yuan Cheng, 33, was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment in March.
According to court documents, an acquaintance of Goh and Lee booked a Grab ride for them to their respective homes after they had visited a nightclub at City Plaza, where the pair had been drinking with friends.
During the ride, the pair began arguing over “monetary issues”. As the dispute escalated, with Goh raising his arms aggressively towards Lee, Tay told them to calm down, or he would make a detour to a police station.
Goh then threatened to attack Tay, but the driver reminded him that his Grab mobile application was still on and therefore recording their conversation. Seemingly unfazed, Goh continued to direct expletives towards Tay.
Tay subsequently stopped his car by the road shoulder along westbound PIE and contacted the police.
While waiting for officers to arrive, a verbal dispute erupted between the three men. To protect himself, Tay stood with his back to the car with both hands held across his body and told Lee not to come near him.
However, Tay’s hands somehow “made contact” with Lee, who then attempted to punch the driver but missed. Goh subsequently joined in the attack on Tay.
After Tay fell, the pair punched and kicked him for about one to two minutes. The assault only stopped when Lee noticed the driver was bleeding and told Goh to stop. Even then, they continued to hurl insults at the driver.
Tay somehow escaped and moved to the third lane of the expressway to seek help. Unable to chase after the driver due to oncoming traffic, Goh and Lee left the scene shortly after.
Goh was arrested on Sep 18, 2025, two months after the incident, and released on bail the next day.
While on bail in October 2025, Goh assaulted his wife after finding out that she was in contact with a male friend.
Driver no longer fetches customers late at night
After the assault, Tay was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he was diagnosed with:
- A minor head injury
- A laceration on the nose
- A nasal bone fracture
He received five days of hospitalisation leave and was billed $617 in medical fees. Court documents stated that Lee had compensated the driver $308.50 while Goh has yet to make restitution.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily, Tay said he suffered a $2,000 loss in income due to the five-day medical leave. He added that he still has a small bump on his nose due to the fracture and suffers breathing difficulties from time to time.
Tay also said he has yet to receive an apology from the pair. Traumatised by the incident, he no longer fetches intoxicated passengers: “In the past, I fetched passengers until dawn. Now I stop at 11pm, and I no longer pick up passengers from drinking establishments.”
Passenger gets 17 weeks’ jail and ordered to compensate victim
During sentencing, the prosecutors sought jail sentences for Goh’s assault on Tay and domestic violence against his wife.
Prosecutors sought a jail sentence of between 3.5 and seven weeks for Goh’s assault on his wife.
As for the attack on Tay, prosecutors proposed a jail sentence of between 17 and 22 weeks.
Goh was eventually given 17 weeks’ jail and ordered to compensate the victim $308.50.
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