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| The bus stop where incident happened (Photo from Google Maps) |
A Filipino was declared guilty of common assault on a fellow Filipino and fined $1,500, at the conclusion of his trial today at Eastern Court.
Deputy Magistrate Poon Chi-ming set aside the testimony of Mark
Anthony Malunao, a 36-year-old bar tender, denying that he threw a punch at
Agustin Paeste, at about 8pm on June 24, 2023 at the bus stop on Chater Road, near
the Cenotaph.
Magistrate Poon instead gave more weight to the testimony of
Paeste, who said he was walking away from a gathering of men that included
Malunao, when he was punched from behind, hitting his left cheek. As a result,
he stumbled to the ground, causing two wounds on his scalp.
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After being given first aid, he was taken by ambulance to
the Queen Mary Hospital.
At first, he said, he did not know who hit him but a video of
the incident surfaced on social media which identified Malunao as his
assailant.
According to Paeste, the altercation started when Malunao
arrived at a gathering at the sidewalk across from the Chater Road bus stop. Malunao
told the group he peed on his pants.
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When Paeste agreed, Malunao pushed him on the chest. Paeste
said he did not want to fight and walked away, after which he was punched from
the back.
In his testimony, Malunao said Paeste pointed too close to
his crotch while saying he peed on his pants, so he reacted by pushing him on
the chest, resulting in the latter walking away.
He later heard a commotion across Chater Road, and walked over
to find Paeste in the ground. He then walked away.
A police officer testified that he arrested Malunao after the
incident.
