A 36-year-old man was found guilty of punching a waitress and sentenced him to six months of imprisonment on Wednesday. Reports stated that the accused, who was a former banker, was also ordered to pay S$635 to compensate the victim.
During early hearing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelly Ho said that after facing rejection most men walk away. He also added that the accused, Samson Tanuwidjaja was unable to accept the fact that a waitress could reject him.
The victim, Tessie Chen suffered a fractured nose as a result of the assault which took place in 2015. She used to work at Peyton Place, a restaurant at Orchard Towers, where Tanuwidjaja had ordered drinks from Chen and proposed her. But the victim repeatedly rejected the offer.
The prosecutor said that the accused later waited for Chen outside the restaurant but she ran away as soon as she saw him.
But Tanuwidjaja followed her and after some time he grabbed Chen's arm and dragged her into the bushes.
Later in the morning of October 28, 2015, the accused punched the victim several times in the face, head and chest outside the Royal Thai Embassy along Orchard Road. After the incident, Chen passed out and was taken to the hospital.
However, while considering Chen's physical and emotional pain, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence Tanuwidjaja to at least 15 months in jail.
In addition to that prosecutor said when Chen was admitted to the hospital she was continuously requested for her discharge as she was feeling unsafe and fearing that Tanuwidjaja will find her. The court also heard that the victim was in pain after being discharged.
Reports stated that Chen was in so much under fear that she missed an appointment with a nose specialist.
The court found Tanuwidjaja guilty of the charge after a six-day long trial. While arguing during the trial the lawyer of the accused claimed that the incident happened because his client was defending himself and planning to file an appeal.
Reports also stated that the accused, Chen had mentioned that she charged him with a sharp object that she pulled out from her bag. Tanuwidjaja claimed that he shoved the victim into the bushes and then ran away.
On the other hand, the lawyer sought for a four-month jail and told the court that this punishment will be appropriate for his client.
The court heard that Tanuwidjaja did not follow Chen with an intention of assaulting her but he was disheartened after the rejection.
Tanuwidjaja's lawyer also said that his client has been intoxicated at the time of the incident but the actions were totally unplanned. However after the incident the accused became a non-drinker, the lawyer added.
While urging for a less jail sentence, Nathan also pointed out that the injuries of Chen was not very serious and she did not face any permanent or obvious disfiguration.
But, the prosecution argued and said that Tanuwidjaja's self-induced intoxication is a factor which triggered the assault.
Tanuwidjaja is currently out on bail of S$30,000 but, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years, including canning for causing grievous hurt.
