Former fencing coach fined for throwing phone at student, causing cut on nose

SINGAPORE: Angry that a student from a top school was not paying attention to her instructions, a former fencing coach threw her phone at him, striking his face and causing a cut over his nose.

For committing a rash act endangering the personal safety of others and hurting the 13-year-old boy, 27-year-old Chan Shihan was fined S$2,000 on Thursday (Sep 10). 

The court heard that Chan was a freelance coach with Blade Club Singapore, a firm providing fencing lessons.

She was conducting a fencing class at the victim's school on the afternoon of Feb 20 last year. The name of the school was redacted from court documents and the boy cannot be named as he is a minor.

As Chan gathered the students to continue the class after a break, she noticed the victim sitting down.

He was tired and was not paying attention to Chan's instructions, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Kee.

Chan called out to the boy, asking him to get up, but he refused to do so. Instead, he used his fencing blade and hit his mask, which was on the floor.

Chan was sitting on a chair about 5m away from the victim. She became angry with him for not complying with her instructions, and threw her mobile phone at him.

She intended to hit the boy's mask, which was on the floor in front of him, but missed.

The mobile phone struck the boy in the face, causing a cut over his nose bridge that began to bleed.

Chan ran over to the boy and began to administer first aid to stop the bleeding, before reporting what happened to the teacher in charge of the club.

The boy's mother took him to a hospital and had his wound stitched up. Chan followed them to the hospital and apologised to the boy's mother.

The boy suffered a 1.5cm laceration over his nose and was given seven days of medical leave, with the S$126.85 medical bill paid for by Chan's then-company.

Chan had initially claimed trial, but pleaded guilty on Thursday to the charge of a rash act endangering others' safety.

COACH IN POSITION OF AUTHORITY: PROSECUTOR

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Kee asked for a fine of at least S$3,000, saying that Chan was in a position of authority over the victim, who was only 13 at the time.

Defence lawyer Laurence Goh asked for a fine of not more than S$1,500, saying that his client had done "a foolish act" and was "very sorry".

"It's to be noted that the moment she threw (her phone), she regretted it," said Mr Goh, stressing that Chan had been aiming for the mask and not the boy.

Chan also suggested taking him to a clinic but all clinics were closed at the time, so his mother took him to the hospital instead.

Mr Goh said the boy recovered very quickly and wanted to return to training. The incident occurred a month before a tournament in March, which could explain Chan's "stress and the urgency".

The rest of the fencing students were ready for a sparring and fencing training session except for the victim, who "misbehaved", said the lawyer.

The boy recovered in time and was selected to represent his school for a national competition, doing "pretty well", he added.

"The boy was not affected mentally or physically," said the lawyer, adding that his client was suspended and has not been able to coach since.

He said she is the main breadwinner in the family, and presented testimonies that said she was a good coach.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Chan, who is first-aid-trained, offered to help out in the frontline, said Mr Goh. 

She helped as an ambulance driver and a swabber, "contributing positively to society".

Her lawyer asked for a low fine, saying that the coaching authorities had said they would appeal to the Ministry of Education for Chan to resume work if she received a low fine. 

For a rash act endangering others' safety, Chan could have been jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both.