Almost two years after a person allegedly kicked her in the chest and hurled racial slurs at her, Indian-origin girl Hindocha Nita Vishnubhai mentioned she has not been in a position to overcome the trauma brought on by the incident in Chua Chu Kang housing property on May 7, 2021.

The 57-year-old was talking in a district courtroom on Wednesday, the first day of the trial of the accused, Wong Xing Fong, now aged 32.

Wong has denied the allegations in opposition to him.

According to courtroom paperwork, Wong is accused of hurling racial slurs at Hindocha with the deliberate intention of “wounding” her “racial feelings”. He can be accused of voluntarily inflicting damage by kicking Hindocha’s chest in an assault aggravated by the racial component.

On Wednesday, Hindocha was known as as the prosecution’s first witness, however she broke down as she walked into the courtroom, in line with a TODAY report.

It was not clear if she cried on seeing Wong however District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan stood the case down briefly to permit time for her to compose herself and for a display screen to be arrange that shielded her from view, the report said.

As the trial resumed about 30 minutes later, Hindocha took the stand to inform the courtroom what occurred on the day of the assault.

Hindocha mentioned she sometimes brisk-walks to work as she doesn’t have the time to do another type of train earlier than work and had pulled down her face masks to the chin to breathe extra freely.

At the time, Singapore’s COVID-19 laws mandated that everybody hold their face masks on except they have been exercising.

As Hindocha was approaching a bus cease beside the Northvale Condominium positioned alongside Choa Chu Kang Drive, she heard somebody shouting at her from behind, she instructed the courtroom.

She circled to see “a pair”, Wong and an unnamed woman, gesturing at her and telling her to mask up. She gestured back to indicate that she was exercising and perspiring.

At this point, Wong walked towards her and hurled the racial slur at her, Hindocha claimed.

“I don’t like to fight, sir, so I said, ‘God bless you’,” she mentioned, including that then Wong ran in direction of her and gave her a “flying kick” in the chest.

The impact, said Hindocha, caused her to fall on her back, leaving her left forearm and palm bleeding.

She alleged that Wong and his female companion then “jogged” away as if nothing had occurred.

“I used to be crying very loudly, sir. I used to be very scared. Till at present, (if) you convey me (to) that street I’ll cry… I used to be very scared,” she said.

A woman at the bus stop helped her up and gave her a first-aid plaster for her injuries, she said.

Hindocha said she narrated her ordeal to her husband and manager at work, and reported the incident to the police only later that evening after she had finished her second job as an English tutor at a tuition centre. She had her injuries examined by a doctor at a polyclinic on May 10.

When asked by Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Foo how the incident had affected her, Hindocha said she felt both scared and sad.

Wong’s lawyer told Hindocha that it was his client’s position that she was not exercising and had no reason to pull her mask down.

He added that Wong had not used the vulgarities against her and had also not kicked her in the chest.

Wong also claimed that Hindocha spat at him, and told him sarcastically that she was brisk-walking and that he should mind his own business.

Hindocha disagreed with all of these statements.

During re-examination by DPP Foo, Hindocha said that while she had difficulty remembering the precise location of the attack, she clearly remembers Wong kicking her.

The second witness was the doctor who attended to Hindocha.

The trial will continue on Thursday and Friday before being adjourned until early February.

Anyone discovered responsible of voluntarily inflicting damage might be jailed for as much as three years or fined as much as SGD 5,000 or each.

However, in cases where the offence is racially or religiously aggravated, the court may sentence the person to 1.5 times the amount of punishment to which he or she would otherwise have been liable.

As for those found guilty of deliberately intending to wound the religious or racial feelings of any person, they can be jailed for up to three years or fined or both.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed)