On December 24, 2025, a 38-year-old man named Quztaza Kamarudin was sentenced to seven months and two weeks in prison following a series of violent and dishonest acts. In addition to his jail term, the court ordered him to pay over $3,000 in compensation to his victim. Should he fail to make this payment, he will be required to serve an additional 20 days in jail. Quztaza had previously pleaded guilty on December 16 to several charges, including causing hurt through a rash act, theft, and committing mischief.
The primary incident occurred on the evening of July 5. Quztaza boarded a double-decker bus, specifically service 190, in the Bukit Panjang area at approximately 5:30pm. He took a seat on the upper deck and proceeded to consume a bottle of soju during the journey. By 6:40pm, as the bus approached a stop near The Heeren shopping mall along the busy Orchard Road, Quztaza prepared to disembark. However, his path to the stairs was blocked by 60-year-old Mr. Lim Phang Kai and his 57-year-old wife.
What began as a simple physical obstruction quickly escalated into a heated confrontation. Quztaza and Mr. Lim engaged in a verbal argument, during which both men shouted vulgarities at one another. After the exchange, Quztaza alighted from the bus. Mr. Lim and his wife remained on the upper deck, with the wife taking a seat directly next to one of the bus windows.
The bus subsequently moved forward but was forced to stop at a nearby traffic light. While the vehicle was stationary, Quztaza was walking past and actively searching for Mr. Lim through the windows. Upon spotting the older man, Quztaza allegedly saw Mr. Lim make an obscene hand gesture toward him. Provoked and angered by this gesture, Quztaza reacted by throwing the soju bottle he had been carrying directly at the window where Mr. Lim was seated.
The force of the throw was sufficient to shatter the glass window of the double-decker bus. The bottle crashed through the pane and struck Mr. Lim’s wife on the left side of her cheek. The impact caused a significant injury, and the police were immediately alerted. The woman was transported to a hospital where she required stitches for the wound. She was eventually discharged with five days of medical leave. Following an investigation and identification process, Quztaza was arrested on July 8 and charged the following day.
However, Quztaza’s legal troubles did not end there. While out on bail for the bus incident, he committed further offences. In the early hours of July 26, at approximately 1:30am, he entered a convenience store in the Boat Quay area with the intention of buying food. While inside, he spotted a bottle of whisky valued at $78.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Intan Suhaily Abu Bakar informed the court that Quztaza claimed he was feeling stressed and wanted alcohol to find relief. Because it was past the legal hours for purchasing alcohol in Singapore, he decided to steal the bottle instead. He slipped the whisky into his pocket and left the store without payment. The theft was discovered when a store manager noticed the missing item and reviewed CCTV footage, which clearly showed Quztaza taking the bottle. He was apprehended nearby shortly after the police were called, still in possession of the unopened whisky.
During the sentencing on December 24, the court considered the rashness of the bottle-throwing incident, which posed a significant danger to public transport passengers, as well as his reoffending while on bail. The combined sentence of over seven months reflects the gravity of injuring a bystander and the repeated nature of his criminal conduct.
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