Delivery food rider fined after damaging side mirror of car that nearly hit him

SINGAPORE: Angry after a car nearly hit him, a food delivery rider followed the driver into his private property and damaged the car's side mirror. 

Koh Wen Hao, 26, was fined S$5,000 on Tuesday (Mar 18) upon pleading guilty to one count each of trespass and mischief. 

On Nov 16 last year, Koh was cycling along Grace Walk in the Serangoon area when the driver, a 64-year-old man, drove his car onto the same street from a merging lane.

Koh had to take evasive action to avoid a collision, and he became angry as he felt that the other party had driven dangerously.

The driver headed into Verdana Villas, a cluster housing development, and Koh followed suit. 

At about 8.15pm, Koh spoke to a security guard at the gate of Verdana Villas, pretending to be delivering food to a unit.

After the security guard allowed Koh to enter the premises, he headed to the covered car park where the driver had parked his car. 

He located the car and proceeded to yank, kick and punch the left side mirror multiple times. The incident was caught on a closed-circuit television camera. 

The driver lodged a police report on Nov 17, 2024, and police subsequently arrested Koh.

The damaged mirror cost about S$1,170 (US$880) to repair, and Koh has since made full restitution. 

In mitigation, Koh told the court that his actions were from "built-up" frustration from his many encounters of "inconsiderate and reckless drivers" like the one in the present case.  

He said that a collision would likely have resulted in him "lying in bed suffering". 

"Even worse, I could have lost my life that night if I did not take any evasive action," he added. 

"I know it's not an excuse for whatever I had done.

"One thing I can assure you is I regret my actions and this is my first and last time smashing someone's mirror, and I hope that you can give me a chance," he told the judge. 

For mischief, Koh could have been jailed up to two years, fined, or both. 

For trespass, he could have been jailed up to three months, fined up to S$1,500, or both.