A 47-year-old librarian was fined S$4,000 for kicking an elderly commuter during a dispute over seat space on Singapore’s East West Line.
Endon Abu Bakar pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to a 66-year-old woman on 5 Dec 2024.
The victim boarded the East West Line at Clementi MRT station at 10.30am. She placed her plastic bag on an empty seat beside her.
Endon boarded the same train at Paya Lebar MRT station around 11am. She sat on the seat where the bag was placed, making contact with it.
The victim felt Endon had sat down forcefully, hitting her bag. Endon believed the seat should not have had a bag on it since no person was sitting there.
The older woman told Endon she should have asked her to move the bag first. This sparked an argument between the two passengers.
Endon pointed her mobile phone at the victim during the dispute. The 66-year-old woman smiled, made a peace sign, and pointed her own phone back at Endon.
This response angered Endon further. She snatched the victim’s phone away.
The victim stood up and tried to get her phone back. Endon then kicked the woman once in the abdomen with her right leg, intending to hurt her.
Emergency Button Pressed as Train Stops at Tanah Merah
The fight caught the attention of other passengers. One commuter pressed the emergency button, causing the train to stop at Tanah Merah station.
MRT staff arrived and interviewed both women about what happened.
After the fight, the victim felt pain in her stomach and complained of a headache. She sought medical attention for her injuries.
A doctor examined her and found she was alert, comfortable, and able to walk steadily. The medical assessment concluded the pain was consistent with a bruise to the stomach area and minor soft tissue injury from being kicked.
The victim did not need hospital care and declined medical leave.
Court Imposes Heavy Fine Despite Financial Difficulties
District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan described the case as “borderline” for jail time but chose a substantial fine instead.
Endon works as a librarian earning about S$2,500 per month in basic salary. She submitted a written mitigation letter that was not read aloud in court.
The judge noted the harm caused was “not so severe” and not inflicted on a vulnerable part of the body. However, he stressed that the incident happened on public transport and caused disturbance to other passengers.
“This happened in an MRT train, caused disturbance to others, and the accused clearly appears to be the more aggressive party in this matter,” Judge Koo stated.
Endon revealed she has significant financial obligations, including S$1,200 monthly payments for her HDB flat and multiple other instalments.
“You have all these difficulties in your life, I understand. Then you shouldn’t have committed this offence,” the judge told her.
The court allowed Endon to pay S$500 on 5 Aug 2025, with the remaining balance to be settled in seven monthly instalments of S$500 each.
For voluntarily causing hurt, she could have faced up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
