Rampage leads to grim charge

Robert Dahlberg is facing the cane for his part in a booze-fuelled rampage in Singapore. Photo / Thinkstock

A Kiwi stockbroker is facing the cane in Singapore for his part in a booze-fuelled rampage in which two men were injured and a tuxedo-wearing friend "hijacked" and crashed a taxi.

Robert Dahlberg, 34, has been charged with grievous bodily harm and assault and faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in the notorious Changi Prison.

The former Junior Tall Black basketball player allegedly punched businessman Lawrence Wong Seong and pushed Paul Liew Kai Ming, causing his face to hit a pillar, after a night out drinking.

Dahlberg's father Bill said yesterday his son wasn't to blame - adding "it was the mob he was with".

"Somebody else attacked them, Robert went to the aid of his mates and it escalated from there."

Briton Robert Springall, 24, is accused of using the taxi without the driver's consent and crashing it into a pole.

Australian Nathan Miller, 35, jumped on the car bonnet and was charged with disorderly behaviour, according to the China News Agency.

Dahlberg, from Nelson, has been released on bail for $25,000 and is due back in court this month.

Bill Dahlberg said the family was under no illusions about Singapore's tough laws.

"Over there it doesn't matter if you're attacked, you're not allowed to do anything. In any other country it wouldn't hit the headlines."

His son had never been in trouble with the law and was "in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong country".

Dahlberg was picked for national league basketball team Nelson Giants at the age of 17 and became an under-18 New Zealand team member - then the equivalent of the Junior Tall Blacks.

Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic coached Dahlberg from the age of 14 and said he was a great team member from a well-respected family.

Herald on Sunday sports editor Paul Lewis, who lived in Singapore for 13 years, said authorities carried a "big stick" but rarely used it.

Speaking about the expat culture in Singapore, he said the standard of living and salaries were high. But some expatriates could push the boundaries too far.