5 men jailed for 2017 Clarke Quay attack which left man dead

[Homelander]

SINGAPORE — After kicking the rear of the last car in a three-car convoy, a man was punched by a passenger in the car and died from the encounter after falling to the ground.

 

The man who dealt the blow, 28-year-old Fino Foo Zhi Peng, was jailed for two years and five months, and ordered to be given three strokes of the cane on Monday (16 November). 

 

The 2017 altercation between Fino Foo and Jeffrey Tan Junjie, who died from a head injury three days later, triggered a scuffle between the occupants of the three cars and Tan’s acquaintances at a Clarke Quay multi-storey carpark, resulting in two of Tan’s acquaintances struck viciously with a metal rod. 

 

Four other co-accused, Allan Ng Wei Wen, 34, Chew Wen Cai, 33, Terence Tan Chun Hon, 31, and Lye Wing Wai, 41, were also given jail terms on Monday, with District Judge Christopher Goh delivering the sentences to a courtroom packed with more than 40 of the accused persons’ family members and friends.

Other sentences given

Ng, who wielded a metal rod, was jailed two years and five months and given six strokes of the cane. Chew was jailed for one year, eight months and given three strokes of the cane, while Lye and Terence Tan were each jailed for one year and three months.

 

Fino Foo, Ng and Chew’s sentences also factored in offences unrelated to the Clarke Quay incident. Fino Foo committed affray, while Ng faced offences under the Remote Gambling Act for which he was also fined $41,500. Separately, Chew was also sentenced for punching his girlfriend and a construction worker who had used his forklift to move Chew’s car, which was blocking the entrance to his worksite.

 

Two others, Phang Jun Wei and Foo Yao Zhong, were earlier dealt with. Phang received a jail term of eight weeks for participating in an unlawful assembly while Foo Yao Zhong received a jail term of one year and three months for rioting.

 

All accused persons had pleaded guilty to their charges.

The incident

The court heard previously that around 4.13am on 16 April 2017, the victims, Lim Soon Leng and Xie Hui, and their three friends were on level 2A of the carpark, with Jeffrey Tan walking a distance behind them. 

 

Six of the accused persons, all men, had earlier been in a Clarke Quay club and were in a convoy of three cars in the carpark at the same time as the victims. 

 

As the last car in the convoy passed him by, Jeffrey Tan kicked the rear of the car, prompting the occupants of the car – including Fino Foo and Phang – to alight. 

 

Fino Foo and Phang then rushed at Jeffrey Tan and punched him in the face, causing the 31-year-old to fall to the ground. 

 

The commotion led to the other co-accused persons alighting from the remaining two cars. Ng, who was in one of the cars, then emerged with a metal rod. When Lim tried to approach Jeffrey Tan, Ng struck him in the face with the metal rod, drawing blood. Lim was then brought away by his friend. 

 

At this point, Xie went to the aid of Lim and told Ng, “That’s my friend.” He too, was struck by Ng with the metal rod. Six other co-accused – including one who rushed up from the lower floors of the car park – then attacked Xie. 

 

The attack did not abate even as Xie fell to ground. He was kicked and hit repeatedly with the metal rod, which dented the metal bezel of his Rolex watch and broke the chrome bracelet. During Monday’s hearing, the prosecution sought for compensation for this watch, which cost $2,047. However the lawyers for all five accused objected to the application with most pointing out that it was Ng who caused the damage with the metal rod.

 

Ng’s lawyer, Ramesh Tiwary, told the court that his client had already compensated Lim’s medical bills and that a receipt showing the value of the Rolex watch was outdated.

 

The scuffle only ended after someone shouted “let’s go”, and the accused persons left the scene. They left in their vehicles before the police arrived. 

 

The incident was captured on CCTV and a passer-by also recorded two videos of the incident using her handphone. Footage of the altercation was played in court.

 

Jeffrey Tan was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital unconscious where he underwent emergency surgery. He eventually succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead three days later.

 

The cause of death was a head injury sustained when the back of his head impacted a hard surface. 

 

Lim and Xie both sought treatment at the same hospital. Lim sustained an injury to his left eye, a left brow laceration, and two fractures to his nose, while Xie accumulated blood under his scalp, abrasions, bruises, and tenderness over his spine and limbs. An MRI revealed further back injuries. 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Homelander