Norwegian man in cabby assault case denies that he choked driver
TODAY file photo.
SINGAPORE — When he previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a taxi driver, Arne Corneliussen said he did so based on witnesses’ accounts as he was too drunk to remember what had happened.
But when he took the stand today (Dec 29), the 51-year-old Norwegian said he now remembers that “everything went black” after he was allegedly punched by his victim first and that the bystanders that gathered around that day made him feel “threatened”.
“I was not feeling safe. (Three to four) people were very aggressive, calling me a foreigner. (Someone) said that I’ll be leaving Singapore in a coffin,” said Corneliussen, whose case was reopened midway through his 10-week jail sentence after two eyewitnesses stepped forward to say cabby Chan Chuan Heng had thrown the first punch.
Giving his account of the incident of around 1am on Sept 22 last year, Corneliussen told the court he was looking for a cab home after attending the F1 race that day, followed by some drinks with friends at the Boat Quay area. He said Chan, 47, quoted him a flat rate of between S$45 to S$50 to take him from Boat Quay to East Coast, instead of turning on the meter.
Corneliussen said he warned the cabby he would report the matter because he knew “touting is not allowed”. “He was angry. Then everything went black and I saw stars,” he said today.
Corneliussen said what happened next was hazy to him. But new eyewitnesses who stepped forward after reading about the case in the news testified yesterday that they saw him squatting and holding his head after being punched by Chan. Corneliussen later chased Chan, and the pursuit ended with him pinning the cabby down and allegedly choking him. “Next thing I know, there was a lot of screaming,” he said. “I decided to leave because I was being threatened.”
After he was charged with choking Chan, Corneliussen, a Singapore permanent resident, offered a S$30,000 compensation and lost his job as a director at DHL. Following the reopening of the case, Chan was charged with lying to a public officer and punching Corneliussen.
Today, Corneliussen denied choking Chan during the altercation. “I don’t believe I can hold him around the neck. It’s certainly not my intention,” he said. He also told the court he visited Changi General Hospital, where he was found to have bruising and abrasion around his left eye, and a possible fracture in his right wrist. Chan fractured his foot during the incident.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Lin Jun Quan, investigating officer of the case, testified today that he did not visit the crime scene that day because Corneliussen had left the scene and Chan had been sent to hospital. But he instructed his colleagues to take down the witnesses’ particulars, and check for bloodstains and go through surveillance camera footage. ASP Lin said that after the incident was reported on the now-defunct website The Real Singapore, he “immediately took action” by calling Chan and the witnesses.
In his opening statement, defence lawyer Terence Seah argued that convicting his client would “create a bad precedent rendering the public unsure of its rights in chasing and apprehending anyone who assaults them in public”. It was also uncertain whether the accused had choked Chan, given that there was no injury to the neck, he said.
“The accused did not intend or know he would cause hurt to Chan. He intended to capture and detain Chan who was running away after assaulting him.”
The verdict will be out on Feb 12.
