Trial of man involved in Geylang deadly brawl opens
TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Having knocked back a few drinks, hairstylist Calvin Yong Sian Teck decided to relieve himself in an alley behind a porridge shop in Geylang.
But little did he know that his actions would spark an 11-man fight, leaving his older brother dead and himself severely injured.
A 33-year-old Singaporean, Melvin Chan Guo Bao, has been charged with one count of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and one count of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means.
His trial, which is expected to last about a week, opened today (Nov 24).
In the prosecution’s version of events, Chan and his friend were peddling cough syrup and sleeping pills, among other drugs, in the back alley between Lorong 11 and 13, Geylang, at 11pm on Aug 5, 2011.
They were sitting near the back entrance of the porridge shop, when Mr Yong and his friend stepped through the doorway.
Upon learning that Mr Yong wanted to pee, Chan and his friend hurled vulgarities at them, causing them to return to the shop.
Once inside, Mr Yong, then 47, related the incident to his 51-year-old brother, Mr Yong Sian Moo, and two more friends. All five had drank earlier, and decided to return to the alley.
Unbeknownst to them, Chan and his friend had been joined by their boss, Peter Poh Hong Leong, and his then-girlfriend, Yu Ying Ying.
A fight immediately broke out among the eight men, and Ms Yu raced to a nearby temple to call for reinforcements. Beer bottle in hand, her boyfriend’s father followed Ms Yu and jumped into the fray, together with two friends.
The prosecution will be tendering evidence to prove that Chan was seen using a wooden pole to bludgeon Mr Yong Sian Moo’s head and Mr Calvin Yong’s leg.
The police, who were notified of the incident at around 11.30pm, arrived to see the Yong brothers lying on the ground, faces bloodied, and surrounded by the paraphernalia left over from the fight — broken benches, chair legs and wooden fragments.
Blood splatters, still damp, coated the makeshift weapons. The rest of the gang were long gone.
The Yong brothers were then sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Paramedic Maisya Abdul Karim told the court today that the older brother was still conscious then, despite throwing up blood in the ambulance. He died of his injuries two hours later.
Chan and four others in his group skipped town the following day. Upon returning to Singapore on July 30, 2013, Chan was arrested at Changi Airport.
During the trial, Deputy Public Prosecutors Anandan Bala and Carene Poh will be tendering CCTV footage, and an autopsy report which stated that Mr Yong Sian Moo died from a head injury, resulting from “blunt force impacts” to his head.
Chan is represented by defence lawyer Low Cheong Yeow.
