Chia Hiok Seah, a 50-year-old Singaporean, has been convicted after driving his car away while his lover’s husband was on the bonnet during a confrontation at a multi-storey car park in Sengkang. The incident occurred in the early hours of June 29, 2024, at approximately 2:00 a.m. at Block 278, Compassvale Bow. He was inside his car with a married woman when the woman’s husband, Mr Goh Yong Sern, appeared at the car park.
At the time, Chia and the woman were nude inside the car.
Husband Confronts Pair at Car Park
Mr Goh found the car and tried to open the doors, but could not get in. After failing to open the vehicle, he climbed onto the bonnet in an attempt to stop the pair from leaving the car park.
Video footage recorded by the victim later showed him standing on the bonnet while Chia drove the car out of the car park. In the recording, the victim can be heard saying, “You are dead, I tell you”.
The footage also showed that Chia drove away while Mr Goh was still on the bonnet.
Court Rejects Claim of Fear
Chia claimed during the trial that he drove away because he was afraid of Mr Goh. However, District Judge Ong Luan Tze rejected this explanation.
The judge said she understood that Chia and the woman may have wanted to leave the situation quickly. However, she said that did not justify the action taken.
“This did not give them leeway to do whatever they wanted,” said District Judge Ong.
She pointed out that the car doors were locked and there was no immediate danger that the victim could enter the vehicle.
The judge also noted that both Chia and the woman had their mobile phones with them. They could have called for help or sounded the horn to attract attention because they were in a residential area.
“They did not do any of these things. Instead, their first response was to drive off while the victim was on the bonnet,” she said.
In her written judgement, the judge added that Chia “did not even appear to have made any gesture to try and get the victim off the bonnet first before driving off”.
Injuries and Charges
Due to that incident, Mr Goh fell and suffered injuries, including a facial laceration and abrasions.
Chia was found guilty of committing a rash act that endangered human life by driving with the victim on the bonnet. He has also pleaded guilty to a second charge for appearing nude in his car while parked in the public car park.
Chia is expected to return to court on Apr 6 for mitigation and sentencing.
For committing a rash act that endangers human life, he can be jailed for up to one year, fined up to S$5,000, or both, and for appearing nude in public, he may face up to three months in jail, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.
