Man fined for shoving plate of food into pregnant woman's face at movie screening

SINGAPORE: A man who shoved a plate of food into a pregnant woman's face in a cinema at a movie event was fined S$1,500 by a court on Friday (Mar 19).

Kevin Fong Kwok Hsi, 40, pleaded guilty to one charge of using criminal force on a 32-year-old woman, who was more than seven months pregnant at the time.

The court heard that Fong and the victim were at the Golden Village cinema in VivoCity mall on Nov 23, 2019 for a movie screening.

The woman was walking past a Frozen 2 character standee when she felt someone poke her on her left thigh. She turned around and realised it was an elderly man - who was Fong's father.

She thought he had poked her because she was in the way of a family who was trying to take a photo with the standee.

The victim had mumbled "crazy anyhow touch people" to herself before walking away. However, Fong's wife heard what the victim said and stared at the victim before telling Fong what happened.

The victim also told her husband about the incident but they did not pursue the matter.

About five minutes later, the victim was queuing for the buffet lunch when Fong, who was holding a plate of food, approached her and stared.

The victim asked him: "What is your problem?" and Fong replied: "Why (did) you say my father (is) crazy?"

The victim said Fong's father had poked her thigh, and that as a woman, she could report his father for his actions. While explaining, she poked Fong on his thigh to demonstrate what she thought his father did.

Fong got angry and shoved his plate of food - which had pastries including an egg tart - into the victim's face. She felt pain and had a scratch on her nose.

Her husband heard her shout and went to help her, shoving Fong who was standing in front of the victim. Other people at the cinema quickly separated them and the victim called the police.

She went to a hospital with a laceration on her nose and was given medical leave and a follow-up appointment with the Obstetrics & Gynaecology department. He medical bills came up to S$121.

The victim was then 33 weeks pregnant, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Phoebe Tan. Fong paid the victim for her medical bills in January this year.

The prosecutor said Fong had used criminal force against a vulnerable victim, but noted that her pregnancy was not endangered. The prosecutor left the sentence to the court.

Fong's lawyer urged for a fine, saying the victim had "started" the whole chain of events and that it was a one-off incident.

For using criminal force, Fong could have been jailed up to three months, fined up to S$1,500, or both.