Boy hit for refusing to pay 'lose weight' bet

Boy hit for refusing to pay 'lose weight' bet

He makes $20 wager with classmate to cut flab; attack happens before deadline

By Tan May Ping
February 25, 2009

IT began as a friendly wager over losing weight and ended in a fight over which the police were called.

A Secondary 2 student and his classmate and 'good friend' apparently made a $20 wager last December that he could lose weight in three months.

Although the three months are up only next week, the friend demanded payment yesterday as he felt the 14-year-old boy had failed in his weight-loss quest.

When the student, who was on his way to school in the morning, refused to pay up, his friend hit him on his head, back and shoulders.

A taxi driver who saw the fight was alarmed enough to call the police.

After the scuffle - which took place at a carpark near Block 107, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh - the students split up and met again at a playground nearby.

When the police arrived, there were seven boys in school uniform - including the supposed victim - at the playground.

The alleged attacker and another teenager were in plain clothes.

After 15 minutes of questioning, all but the alleged attacker, who wore a red T-shirt and dark bermudas, and the victim were allowed to leave.

A police spokesman confirmed that they received a call at about 7.40am informing them of a dispute.

He said that both parties were advised accordingly and they complied.

The New Paper was not able to contact the students.

The 'chubby' student told Shin Min Daily News yesterday: 'I had a wager with my friend that I would lose weight.'

After losing the bet, he said he had planned to pay his friend next Monday, but was beaten up instead.

He told Lianhe Wanbao: 'The wager was up next Monday, but he asked for the $20 from me today. I refused to give him and he beat me up. Then the police came.'

He said his friend had thrown a few punches, hitting his head, back and shoulder several times.

No obvious injuries
Then they heard a middle-aged man, presumably the taxi driver who called the police, shouting at them to stop fighting.

The student said that despite being hit, he did not have any obvious injuries and did not feel any pain.

He told Shin Min that they had known each other for many years.

He claimed: 'We're good friends, and we always play around like that. Who knew that the police would be alerted this time round.'

About 10 police officers went to the scene.

The 1.5m-tall teenager claimed that he used to weigh more than 50kg, and managed to slim down to over 40kg.

But after that, he couldn't resist eating a lot of fast food and lost the wager.

'I lost 5 to 6kg initially, but after I ate more food, I gained weight,' he said.

According to Wanbao, the teenager had been trying to lose weight by exercising rigorously in the past two months, including jogging and playing ball games.

'I lost weight before, and I know I can do it again, that's why I refused to give him the $20 now,' he added.

After the police took their statements, the teenagers shook hands and left separately.

One of their friends told The New Paper a conflicting account.

He said that the student who was attacked merely owed the other student $20.

'Although he is chubby, there was no such bet,' said the friend, who declined to be named.

'They weren't really fighting. They often like to spar with each other. But this was more like a warning to pay up.'

Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,193862,00.html?