A 25-year-old man named Wong Jun Feng has been sent to jail for four weeks after a fight with a fellow moviegoer at the movie theatre. The fight started because Wong kept kicking the back of the other person’s chair. The situation got so bad that the victim ended up falling down a flight of stairs.
The incident happened at a Shaw Theatres cinema in Waterway Point on June 26, 2024.
About an hour into the movie, the man kicked the back of the victim’s chair, and they got into an argument. The victim even went to find the cinema staff for help, but he later told them everything was fine because he thought the problem was solved.
The attack
Right as the movie was ending, Wong, who was still angry, kicked the back of the victim’s chair one last time and tried to leave.
When the victim followed him up the stairs, Wong suddenly turned around and pushed him hard with both hands on his shoulders. The victim lost his balance and fell backwards down about six flights of steps, and Wong ran away without looking back.
What happened to the moviegoer?
After he fell, the victim passed out for about a minute. When he woke up, other people helped him get up, and he was taken to Sengkang General Hospital. He had to stay in the hospital for five days because of pain in his neck, back, and arm. After leaving the hospital, he was given one month of medical leave, and the pain was so bad that he needed painkillers to sleep.
The victim’s medical bills were over S$1,800, but his insurance and MediSave covered all of it. However, he lost money from his part-time restaurant job, which paid him S$150 a day, because he was too hurt to work.
Man jailed four weeks for causing harm
Wong admitted in court that he was guilty of causing serious harm to the victim. The prosecutor asked for five to six weeks in jail, saying the attack happened in a public place and caused a lot of worry for other people. The prosecutor also pointed out that Wong tried to run away.
Wong’s lawyer asked for a shorter sentence of no more than four weeks. He said that Wong was sorry and had helped the police with their investigation. The lawyer also said that Wong had quit his job as a porter because of the case and was now working a few odd jobs to make money. The court also found out that Wong was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager and later had adjustment disorder.
The judge ordered Wong to pay S$93.09 to the victim for the part of the medical bills covered by MediSave. When given the choice to pay the money or spend one more day in jail, Wong chose to go to jail. A court officer told the judge that Wong was “just choosing” to serve the extra day. For his crime, Wong could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
