A 52-year-old renovation worker has gone on trial in the High Court over the death of a 48-year-old bus driver following an alleged dispute about smoking at Amoy Gardens. The murder trial opened on 25 September 2026 before a seven-person jury, and the defendant denies the charge.
The prosecution alleges that the confrontation began at about 11pm on 19 September 2023, when the defendant was smoking while waiting for a lift and the bus driver complained about the smoke. After the two men travelled in the lift, the prosecution says, the defendant followed the victim out and punched him in the face before pushing him against a railing.
Prosecutors say CCTV footage shows the assault continued after the victim fell. The defendant allegedly punched him several more times and kicked him in the head, including while he was lying still. Prosecutors argue that the continued blows and kicks showed an intention to cause serious bodily harm.
The victim remained conscious after the assault, reported it and was taken by ambulance to United Christian Hospital, where he was treated for facial injuries before being discharged. After returning home, he vomited and became unconscious. He was later taken for emergency treatment, including surgery to relieve pressure in his brain, but did not regain consciousness and died on 1 October 2023. A forensic report attributed his death to head injuries.
The defendant admits striking the victim, but told police under caution that he became angry after an alleged profane insult involving his mother. He said he did not know which part of the victim’s body he had hit. Ambulance personnel and a forensic pathologist are expected to give evidence for the prosecution.