Driver convicted of placing man in chokehold after car accident in Ang Mo Kio

SINGAPORE: After an accident between two cars in Ang Mo Kio, the drivers went to a nearby car park where both men took photos of their vehicles. 

However, one of the drivers later placed the other man in a chokehold until the victim felt he could not breathe.

The aggressor, 32-year-old Soh Wei Jie, was convicted on Tuesday (Jan 3) of one count of voluntarily causing hurt to Mr Ng Yong Huat.

He was given a discharge amounting to an acquittal for another charge of failing to provide his particulars to Mr Ng on request after the accident that resulted in damage to Mr Ng's car.

The court heard that the two men got into the accident along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.

Soh signalled to Mr Ng to follow him to Block 332 along the same road. 

He stopped his car in front of Mr Ng's vehicle next to a coffee shop, and both men alighted to take photos of the cars.

According to the prosecution's case, Soh told Mr Ng that they should each pay for the damages sustained by their own cars.

Soh then returned to his car and sat in the driver's seat. Mr Ng followed Soh and prevented Soh from closing his car door by putting his hand on the door frame.

According to the prosecution, Mr Ng intended to ask for Soh's particulars.

Soh got out of his car, pushed Mr Ng's chest area and used his arm to put Mr Ng's neck in a chokehold while standing behind him, said the prosecution.

The prosecution added that Mr Ng struggled to free himself from Soh's grip and the pair moved about struggling with Mr Ng in a half-standing, half-sitting position.

At one point, Mr Ng felt he could not breathe.

Three customers and a worker at the coffee shop shouted at Soh, asking him to release Mr Ng. 

When he did not, the bystanders stepped forward and repeated their request.

Soh let Mr Ng go only when the coffee shop worker said he would call the police. 

Mr Ng sat on the road after Soh released him, and Soh hurriedly drove off, said the prosecution.

Mr Ng later made a police report and went to the hospital, where he was found to have sustained abrasions to his neck, knees and elbows.

During the trial, Mr Ng testified about what happened and the coffee shop worker corroborated his testimony.

In his defence, Soh claimed that Mr Ng had attacked him by trying to push him and trying to hit him.

The prosecutor said this differed from Soh's statement to the police where he said Mr Ng was very close to him and Soh thought Mr Ng was trying to attack him.

Soh also claimed that Mr Ng had shown aggression by demanding S$500 from him. 

He claimed that he was acting in private self-defence, but the prosecution said he had multiple ways of de-escalating the situation even if his claims were true.

He also could have called the police, and he inflicted more harm than was necessary for the purpose of defence, said the prosecutor.

Soh will return to court for mitigation and sentencing later this month.

He has three more pending charges for alleged offences including driving a car very closely past another car at a petrol station and colliding with the vehicle, driving over a man's foot, driving his vehicle towards another man at a fast speed and holding onto a third man's neck.