SINGAPORE – Amid a heated scuffle between two groups, one man ran up behind another to throw a punch at the unsuspecting man’s face.
The force of the punch resulted in the man falling backwards and hitting his head on the ground – causing skull fractures and injuries.
The victim, Mr R. Dehven, 34, succumbed to his injuries around a week later and died in the hospital.
On Oct 13, Muhammad Amiruddin Sabtu, 27, was sentenced to a total of 36 months’ jail and disqualified from holding all classes of driving licences for two years, after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt resulting in grievous hurt, driving without a valid licence, and cheating by impersonation.
The court heard that Amiruddin’s group and the victim’s group had been engaged in a heated argument for more than 15 minutes, after two women from the opposing groups first entered into a verbal altercation.
Both groups were drinking separately at a bar at Balestier Point from May 17, 2024, to the early hours of May 18, 2024.
The altercation began as the victim’s group were leaving the premises between 4am and 5am on May 18 and escalated when Mr Dehven and another man from Amiruddin’s group challenged each other to a fight.
As the argument between the pair grew more heated, CCTV footage played in court showed Amiruddin running up to Mr Dehven and punching him in the face, causing the latter to fall.
Amiruddin then immediately challenged another man from Mr Dehven’s group to a fight.
Upon hitting the ground, Mr Dehven became motionless, despite another man being seen trying to prop him up into a sitting position.
The prosecutor said that at this point, blood had begun to pour out from the victim’s nose. He suffered a cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived to take him to the hospital.
After reviving him, the victim was taken to the hospital, but his condition continued to deteriorate. He eventually died on May 25.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh said that Amiruddin had multiple antecedents in 2013, 2017 and 2021 involving charges such as rioting and being part of an unlawful assembly.
In 2021, he was sentenced to 22 months’ jail after being charged over rioting. DPP Teh noted that his present conviction showed an escalation in his violent offending.
Separately, on Dec 3, 2023, police officers caught Amiruddin driving a rented car without a valid driving licence.
Investigations revealed he had used a relative’s GetGo account, without her knowledge, to book the car for about six hours between Dec 2 and Dec 3. He was caught after police officers stopped his car in the vicinity of Commonwealth to conduct checks.
