A 38-year-old Malaysian man who attacked and injured a bus driver received a six-week prison sentence on Thursday, April 10.
On Monday, April 7, Looi Kai Ye entered a guilty plea to one offense; further counts are pending. These consist of willfully causing harm, mischief, and public annoyance.
The incident happened on January 21 as Looi was waiting for SBS Transit bus 59 at a bus stop close to Block 141 Tampines Avenue 2. When the bus still hadn’t arrived after 11 minutes, Looi became impatient.
Looi lost his temper and started yelling at Parvathy A/P Subramaniam, the bus driver, when it arrived at approximately 8.10 am.
When Looi struck Parvathy at least six times on the left side of her head, the attack got worse.
According to Shin Min, one of the passengers on the bus was able to approach Looi and escort him off, while another person evacuated the other passengers.
After receiving treatment at Changi General Hospital, the driver was granted three days of medical leave.
On January 22, Looi was taken into custody by the police, charged, and taken to the Institute of Mental Health for a mental health assessment.
The prosecution disclosed throughout the hearing that although Looi had bipolar disorder and autism, however, he was mentally competent at the time of the occurrence.
In addition to his numerous past offenses, he was given an eight-month and one-week jail sentence for an incident that occurred in 2023. At the time, he was rushing for a bus and collided with an elderly man who hit a metal railing and eventually succumbed to severe head injuries.
According to Shin Min, Looi has also entered a guilty plea to distinct allegations of sexual harassment and violence.
