SINGAPORE, May 16 — His dispute with a fellow patron in a nightclub first ignited an exchange of vulgarities between his friends and the other’s.

Around 45 minutes later, when unhappiness continued to brew among Eddie Tan and his friends, they assaulted the other party, who were all Korean nationals, causing three of them to suffer bone fractures, facial lacerations and temporary loss of hearing, among other injuries.

For being part of an unlawful assembly with a common intention of causing hurt to three others, Tan, 26, was yesterday sentenced to eight months’ jail.

The fracas happened on January 31 last year while the two groups were at Club Password in Hotel Rendezvous on Bras Basah Road.

As the Koreans were leaving the club, Tan’s co-accused, Desmond Luo, 19, flung beer glasses at them while Thum Wei Rong, 26, struck them with a steering wheel lock.

Tan and four others — Lee Wei Jian, 25; Keeren Marcus Phang, 25; Jane Tan, 20; and Kenneth Tien, 22 — rained punches and kicks on the victims, causing three of them to have to be sent to hospital with severe injuries.

Medical reports showed that one of them sustained a fractured skull, temporary hearing loss and multiple facial lacerations.

Yesterday, Tan’s lawyer Peter Fernando argued during mitigation that his client’s offence was not premeditated, and that he had a minimal role in the assault.

Unlike Luo and Thum, Tan was not armed and had not caused the more severe injuries, added Fernando, who sought a jail term of one to three months.

Deputy public prosecutor Sarah Ong, however, contended that three months is “far too low” for a rioting offence. Medical reports also did not conclude which injuries were caused by which of the accused persons, she added, in arguing for a jail term of six to nine months instead.

District Judge Toh Yung Cheong ruled that every participant in a riot has to bear responsibility for the injuries caused, especially if the individual had also initiated the assault.

Tan’s co-accused Luo and Tan were given reformative training due to their age, while Lee and Phang will be sentenced on June 29.

Tien will return to court in July for his ongoing trial, while Thum is still at large. ― Today