Shane Teoh: Castlecrag property hotshot convicted of assault

A North Sydney property hotshot has landed in court after he jumped behind the wheel of an Uber and wrestled the driver to the pavement.

Shane Teoh has appeared at Downing Centre Local Court over an alcohol-fuelled assault. Picture: Daniel McGookin

A North Sydney property hotshot exchanged racial slurs with an Uber driver when his friend refused to put on her seatbelt before jumping into the driver’s seat and wrestling on the pavement.

Shane Teoh, 34, of Castlecrag, was convicted and fined $1500 after the boozy, late night assault landed him in court.

According to the police facts, Teoh, who works in the real estate industry, ordered an Uber to a Kent St address after dining at a Sydney restaurant in September last year.

Teoh’s friend jumped into the back of the Uber without putting on her seatbelt.

The Uber driver stopped the car and told Teoh he “cannot go further without (his friend) wearing a seatbelt”.

The facts state the accused replied, “No, you f***ing Indian, go straight”.

Shane Teoh (centre). Picture: Daniel McGookin

But Teoh claimed in court the fight ignited when the Uber driver directed a racial slur towards him.

Teoh’s friend recalled him saying: “Put your seatbelt on you dumb Asians … go back to your country”, the court heard.

The court heard Teoh’s friend had tried to put on her seatbelt but it wasn’t working.

According to the facts, the Uber driver tried to assist the woman with putting on her seatbelt when Teoh climbed into the driver’s seat from the back seat, took the handbrake off and tried to put the vehicle into gear.

By now, the Uber driver had started filming the events on his phone, and Teoh opened the door and “launched at” the Uber driver, attempting to grab the phone, the facts state.

He “kept advancing towards the victim and trying to grab the victim” and the Uber driver repeatedly told Teoh to get off him.

Teoh was knocked to the ground twice by the Uber driver, the facts read, as they wrestled from the street onto the footpath, and then tussled on the ground.

In the kerfuffle, Teoh tried to punch the victim twice and narrowly missed, the police facts state.

Shane Teoh (centre). Picture: Daniel McGookin

Two security guards from the Scary Canary heard the Uber driver’s calls for help and ran over to break up the pair.

The incident was recorded on CCTV, according to the police facts.

Teoh told the police that night “he had been assaulted and racially abused”.

Police said Teoh was uncooperative.

Teoh pleaded guilty to the common assault charge.

His lawyer Richard Pontello SC asked multiple times for the court to give him “one last chance”.

Magistrate Clare Farnan said she did not accept the fight started because of racial slurs but rather the woman not putting on her seatbelt.

She called Teoh a “high achiever”.

Magistrate Farnan convicted Teoh and fined him $1500.