A 53-year-old Singaporean man, Wilson Loh, has been sentenced to five weeks’ jail and fined S$1,500 after a drunken outburst on a public bus during which he tapped the driver’s face with his EZ-Link card.
The sentence was handed down on 21 July 2025.
According to 8World News, Loh pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance and two counts of using criminal force.
A fourth charge was considered during sentencing.
The court heard that Loh had consumed eight bottles of beer at a coffee shop in Commonwealth on 18 March 2025, starting at midday.
At around 6pm, Loh boarded bus service 195, driven by 46-year-old bus captain Yin Xusheng from Singapore.
Loh intended to alight at the next stop.
When the bus reached his intended stop, Yin stopped the vehicle to allow passengers to board and alight.
However, Loh failed to disembark.
After the bus pulled away, Loh approached Yin and accused him of deliberately preventing him from alighting. Yin explained that the doors had been opened at the stop.
In response, Loh tapped his EZ-Link card on the driver’s face, which the court classified as criminal force intended to cause annoyance, with no grave or sudden provocation.
Throughout the journey to the next bus stop, Loh continued to make a scene, shouting and causing discomfort to other passengers.
When the bus reached the following stop at around 7pm, Yin stopped the bus to resolve the issue.
A 75-year-old Singaporean passenger attempted to calm Loh but was pushed away. The elderly man dropped his phone during the encounter, though the device was not damaged.
Loh’s behaviour disrupted the bus service, and police were called to the scene.
Officers arrested Loh at about 8.20pm.
Prosecutors revealed Loh’s history of offences dating back to 1989, which include disorderly behaviour, snatch theft, rash acts and voluntarily causing hurt.
In September 2024, he received separate sentences of 12 and 14 weeks’ jail for voluntarily causing hurt.
During mitigation, Loh, speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, claimed he felt “agitated” when filmed after his fifth COVID-19 vaccination.
He explained that he slapped a hand away because of the filming.
District Judge Eddy Tham rejected Loh’s justification, stating that his intoxication was the root cause.
Tham told Loh that although he may not have intended harm or remembered his actions, he was responsible for the consequences of drinking excessively.
The judge stressed that it made no difference to victims whether Loh had intended to cause harm or not, as the harm occurred.
Judge Tham advised Loh to control his drinking habits, suggesting he should stop drinking entirely if he was unable to manage his behaviour.
Loh admitted his drinking problem and said he had attended anger management sessions.
He was permitted a deferment to attend ultrasound appointments.
The incident comes amid renewed efforts to address unruly conduct on Singapore’s public transport network.
The Land Transport Authority announced earlier this month that more than 160 notifications of offence have been issued since new signs discouraging nuisance behaviour were installed on public transport.
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