Upset that a boy had hit his girlfriend’s head twice, a man pulled the 13-year-old to the ground and kicked his face in a local area network (LAN) gaming shop.

Jedidiah Eben Chua, 23, was fined $1,000 at the State Courts on Monday (29 October) after he pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt.

Incident at gaming shop

The court heard that Chua, a culinary student, had gone to Chambers LAN shop at Hougang Green Shopping Mall with his 20-year-old girlfriend in the morning of 15 May this year.

The boy, a secondary school student, and his friends entered the same shop hours later. In his excitement, the boy accidentally smacked the back of Chua’s girlfriend’s head with his left hand while running to the shop’s counter.

The boy did not apologise at the time as he thought he had hit the woman’s chair, according to Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Lydia Goh.

A while later, the boy ran to the counter and his hand again hit the head of Chua’s girlfriend. She shouted at boy, who ignored her and returned to his friends.

Chua and his girlfriend then waited for the boy to apologise. However, the boy started laughing with his friends. This angered Chua, who then confronted the boy.

He pulled the boy to the ground and kicked him in the face. Chua then went to check on his girlfriend.

The boy reported the incident to the mall’s security guard, who called the police. Apart from suffering from bruises and cuts on his face, the boy also had slight bloody discharge from his nose.

Actions ‘out of character’

APP Goh asked for a fine of at least $1,000, stating that the victim was only 13 years old.

He added that Chua’s girlfriend had also not suffered any injuries. However, she noted that the boy’s injuries were not serious.

Chua, who was unrepresented, said in mitigation that his actions were out of character and that he had lost his cool when his girlfriend was hit. He apologised to the court for his actions.

In sentencing Chua, District Judge Kenneth Yap told Chua that his “violent act” could have caused serious injuries. For voluntarily causing hurt, Chua could have been jailed up to two years, fined $5,000, or both.

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