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SINGAPORE: A motorcyclist who bit off part of a man’s ear in a road rage incident on an expressway shoulder was sentenced to 20 months’ jail and three strokes of the cane on Thursday (Mar 12).<\/p>\n
Ronald Koh, a 36-year-old Singaporean, will also be disqualified from holding or obtaining any driving licence for 12 months when he is released.<\/p>\n
Koh had contested two charges for biting off part of Mr Fabian Quak Wei Quan’s ear and for hitting Mr Quak Beng Gim’s back and stepping on his foot.<\/p>\n
The offences took place on the left road shoulder of the Pan Island Expressway towards Changi after the Sims Way exit at about 2pm on Feb 26, 2024.<\/p>\n
Mr Quak Beng Gim had been driving with his son in the front passenger seat when he said Koh signalled them to stop.<\/p>\n
All parties pulled over on the road shoulder, where Koh scuffled with Mr Fabian, who is in his 20s.<\/p>\n
Mr Fabian then told his father that Koh had bitten his ear and they searched for the piece of ear that was on the road, the court heard.<\/p>\n
At trial, Koh represented himself and charged that the two men were lying and had instead attacked him.<\/p>\n
He said he could not have bitten off the younger Quak’s ear, and suggested the older Quak might have done that instead.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok sought two years’ jail, three strokes of the cane and 12 months’ disqualification from driving.<\/p>\n
He said the injury sustained by Mr Fabian was very serious, and he had to undergo surgery to replant part of his ear.<\/p>\n
Despite this, there was a 50 to 60 per cent loss of the piece of amputated ear, resulting in permanent cosmetic disfiguration.<\/p>\n
Mr Kok said Koh faces four other charges that arose over three more road rage incidents.<\/p>\n
When Koh was asked to give his mitigation, he repeated things he had said at trial – saying he was just doing his delivery job and that the Quaks were “a danger to my path”.<\/p>\n
He also invoked his right to private defence, to which the judge told him the court had already rejected that defence.<\/p>\n
Koh also said he wanted a retrial, because the Quaks allegedly submitted lies to the court.<\/p>\n
He said the injuries were “their own doing” and that there was no proof he had caused them.<\/p>\n
In sentencing, District Judge Lim Tse Haw said that broken bones can heal, but Mr Fabian had a piece of his left ear measuring 3.5cm by 1.5cm bitten off.<\/p>\n
He said that even though the piece of ear was reattached, the consequential cosmetic disfiguration was permanent, as the court observed when Fabian was giving his evidence.<\/p>\n
“He continues to experience intermittent pain around his left ear and loss of sensation in the reattached part of his ear,” said Judge Lim.<\/p>\n
Adding that the act was “particularly vicious and barbaric”, he agreed that caning was appropriate in this case.<\/p>\n
He also noted that at the time of the offence, Koh was already under investigation for a separate road rage incident also involving causing hurt.<\/p>\n
He imposed a driving ban for the protection of other road users.<\/p>\n
For causing grievous hurt, Koh could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.<\/p>\n
For voluntarily causing hurt, Koh could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n