Motorcyclist in road rage jailed for three weeks

33-year old Briton, James George Palin, was sentenced to three weeks' jail yesterday for punching and shattering a car's window in a road rage incident. He is appealing against the sentence and is out on $15,000 bail.

The former Regional Director of a recruitment firm was riding his motorcycle on 16^th November last year, when he hit the bumper of a car driven by Legal Officer Chiang Pak Chien while overtaking him. 

The road rage incident started when Mr. Chiang, who was with his girlfriend, overtook Palin, who had not stopped his motorcycle. Palin sped past him again and braked immediately in front of the car. Mr. Chiang had to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing into Palin's motorcycle.

Palin then walked over to Mr. Chiang's car and punched the glass, which shattered over the couple and cut them all over. Palin then fled on his bike.

When giving out the sentence, District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim said Palin's reaction was excessive and disproportionate, and agreed with the prosecution that there should be a jail term.

Palin could have been jailed for up to one year and fined up to $5,000 for causing hurt by doing a rash act that endangers the personal safety of others.