Father, Son Jailed for Assaulting Malaysian in Investment Dispute

A father and son from China who flew to Singapore to confront a Malaysian businessman over a Singapore investment dispute were each sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Nov 11) for assaulting him, The Straits Times reported.

Gao Yong, 50, and his son Gao Zhenhan, 25, pleaded guilty to assaulting the 35-year-old Malaysian, according to the report carried by The Star.

Singapore Investment: Assaulting Malaysian

Court documents showed the Chinese nationals had planned to open a shop in Singapore and contacted a Singaporean in April to apply for work passes for them. The Singaporean then introduced the son to the victim, who was described as looking for investors for his businesses in Singapore.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang said the victim, who had financial interests in several food businesses in Singapore, invited the son to invest in one of his beverage shops at Kent Ridge Medical Centre.

The father and son sold their family car and took bank loans to put at least S$18,000 into the business. Some time later, the victim told them he could not secure work permits for them, and he did not return their money, the court heard.

Confrontation at VivoCity

The pair travelled to Singapore on Oct 14 to confront him. They could not find him at his shop and slept rough nearby that night.

The next day, they took a train to VivoCity and spotted him at a basement food court. When he left for his car parked nearby, Gao Yong ran after him, swung his hand at his head and pushed him into the car, while the son pushed him against a car seat to stop him from getting away.

The two punched him several times and demanded 200,000 yuan, according to the report. The victim offered S$5,000 and then S$10,000, but the father rejected both offers.

Father and Son Jailed 10 Weeks

Two security officers approached the car to check on what was happening and the police were alerted. The father and son were arrested soon after.

The prosecution said the victim suffered superficial injuries to his face, neck and shoulders. The report said assault carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

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