Man gets jail after choking SCDF medic

SINGAPORE - A man was sentenced to two months’ jail in March for attacking a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) medic while drunk.

The incident, which left the medic with a sprained neck, was highlighted by the SCDF in a Facebook post on April 9, in which it warned the public not to abuse its first responders.

The incident in question happened on May 17, 2023, when the man was found by an ambulance crew at about 9.50pm lying unconscious near an industrial building in Marymount.

The man, identified in court documents as Tong He, 36, reeked of alcohol and spoke with a slur when roused by the crew. They made the assessment that Tong was incapable of taking care of himself and had to go to the hospital.

A paramedic took Tong to the waiting ambulance, but he suddenly turned aggressive and uncooperative.

She gave Tong an ice pack, but he threw it at the medic, Mr Heinrich Ho, 25, who was serving his national service at the time.

Shortly after, two police officers arrived at the scene and managed to convince Tong to get into the ambulance.

But Tong turned violent again while en route to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, when he repeatedly tried to grab Mr Ho’s limbs.

When the medic tried to fend him off by holding both Tong’s hands, the drunken man made attempts to grab Mr Ho’s neck and managed to do so for about three seconds.

Tong only released his grip when a paramedic came to Mr Ho’s aid. The ambulance driver stopped the vehicle and called the police for help.

Mr Ho later sought treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a neck sprain and prescribed painkillers.

Tong was sentenced to a two-month jail term that began on April 3.

The SCDF said it does not to take such abuse lightly, and added that it would not hesitate to report these cases to the police.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.