Singapore: A man of Chinese descent in Singapore was found guilty of verbally abusing and striking an Indian woman in the chest for not wearing the mask properly during coronavirus pandemic while she "brisk-walked" to her employment.
Wong Xing Fong, 32, attacked Madam Hindocha Nita Vishnubhai, 57, near the Northvale condominium in Choa Chu Kang in May 2021. According to Nita, she was brisk-walking to Choa Chu Kang stadium, where she worked at a fast-food restaurant, with her mask down when she heard someone shouting. She turned and saw Wong and his fiancee, Chua Yun Han. She did not know the couple who told her to “mask up”.
People were exempted from wearing a mask if they were ‘brisk-walking’ among other things. She explained to the couple that she was brisk-walking and gestured to show she was exercising and sweating, the prosecution told the court.
“The accused scolded the complainant (and verbally insulted her). To de-escalate the matter, the complainant said, ‘God bless you’,” the prosecution added. However, they said that the accused kicked the complainant in the chest before jogging off (with his fiancee). An eyewitness helped her to her feet and tended to the wound on her left forearm, Nita said, adding that she filed a police report that evening.
Wong defended himself by alleging that she was rude, combative, and shouted insults at him. He further asserted that he only reacted by shoving her away after she spat at him and his fiancée. He acknowledged using crude language, but he insisted they were not racial.