Stockbroker Fined $1,400 After Kicking a Football At a Boy

December 8, 2016

A 36-year-old man was fined SGD $2,000 ($1,400) for kicking a football three times against a 9-year-old boy’s legs in Singapore.

The incident occurred at an HDB void deck in Bukit Panjang on May 25, 2016, The Straits Times reported.

Photo by: Wong Kwai Chow

Keith Tan Chee Siang, a stockbroker, got furious when the boy, who kicked the ball earlier, accidentally knocked his daughter off from her skate scooter. The boy was reportedly playing with a friend.

Tan then took matters into his own hands to teach the boy a lesson. He ordered the latter to stand near a wall and stood three to five meters behind his victim. He kicked the ball against the victim’s legs three times.

Tan asked the victim to return the ball after each kick. Following the second and third blows, he asked the victim whether he was in “pain or not,” but the latter did not reply, Deputy Public Prosecutor Chew Xin Ying said.

But there’s more to the incident. The victim also suffered a nose bleed when the ball missed and rebounded to his face in one of Tan’s kicks. Meanwhile, Tan’s daughter, who cried after her fall, sustained an abrasion.

Tan Chee Kiong, Tan’s lawyer, explained that his client had realized his mistake. On top of the fine, the stockbroker was ordered to pay his victim SGD $108 ($75) in compensation. He could’ve faced jail time and a higher fine.

As things turned out, the victim forgave Tan, who visited him two weeks after the incident. His mother, 34-year-old Madam Lu, told Shin Min Daily News (via ST):

“Though there was a period of time when he did not dare to venture outside and go downstairs to play, he managed to overcome his fear. He also told me he had forgiven [Tan], and asked us not to pursue the matter as they were neighbors and should be on good terms.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen people take matters into their own hands, but an innocent boy certainly didn’t deserve such treatment.

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