Couple who bullied old man say they’ve been ‘living like fugitives’; victim just wants to move on

The case of the highly viral incident involving a couple bullying an elderly man at a Toa Payoh Hawker Centre came to a conclusion last week, but it looks like troubles may be far from over for the convicted duo.

Chow Chuin Yee, 45, was fined $1,500 for causing public nuisance and using criminal force on 76-year-old Ng Ai Hua when he shoved the latter during an argument over seats. His partner, 38-year-old Tay Puay Leng, was fined $1,200 for one count of harassment. Both were the subject of overwhelming wrath when their bad behavior was captured on video back in April, as they verbally and physically abused Ng, who simply asked if it was okay to have his dinner at their five-seater table. They were arrested four days after the incident.

Not surprisingly, the couple have expressed their extreme distress over the attention attracted by their actions. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Chow stated that they’ve been “living like fugitives” since the incident, which has invited massive backlash both online and in real life. Some of the difficulties they claimed to have underwent include:

• Getting filmed by a stranger while queuing up for a meal at a hawker centre.
• A man intentionally moving backward to bump into Chow in a queue, stepping onto his toes.
• Tay experiencing anxiety while being out in public — an issue bad enough for her to seek psychiatric help and resort to medication.

They’ve since made multiple efforts to win back the public’s approval, including writing apology letters to Ng and asking for the chance to apologize in person. Tay, in particular, stated that she continues to regret her rash actions that fateful day, which was apparently prompted by stress from taking care of her dementia-ridden grandmother.

In an interview with The Straits Times yesterday, Ng accepted the couple’s apologies but says that he doesn’t want to meet them in person. Though the man doesn’t blame the public for their severe reactions, he just wants to move on from the incident, and hopes that they’ve learnt their lesson.

“If they are sincere and really regret their actions, then people will know”, Ng noted. “But if it is an act, people can also judge. Life is like that.”