Taiwanese woman jailed 3 weeks for assaulting taxi driver; fined $1,000 for abusing security officer
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Taiwanese broker Dina Huang Chih-Yung had consumed at least 700ml of sake the night she hit and bit two people in separate scuffles.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Elena Chong
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SINGAPORE - After a night of drinking, a woman became so drunk that she hit and bit two people in separate scuffles and shouted vulgarities at them, all of which were caught in videos that went viral.
Taiwanese broker Dina Huang Chih-Yung, 31, was jailed for three weeks on Tuesday (Jan 2), after she admitted causing hurt to taxi driver Cheng Teck Wei, 43, on Dec 7, 2016.
She was also fined $1,000 for abusing security officer Jeiv Anay Alimithu, 39, on the same night.
The court heard that Huang boarded Mr Cheng's taxi at Marina Bay Sands Tower 3 that night. She fell asleep soon after she got into the cab as she had consumed at least 700ml of sake that night.
When they reached Skysuites@Anson condominium in Enggor Street, Huang alighted and walked away without paying the fare. Mr Cheng got out of his taxi and grabbed her handbag to prevent her from leaving. His shouts for help were heard by two security guards at the condominium.
Huang hit Mr Cheng's arm and tried to kick him, as she attempted to pull her handbag from him. When he refused to let go, she tried to hit him at least four times. She screamed at him in Mandarin and asked him to let go, and he did so.
She then walked away, while shouting abusive words at him. She said she would wait for the police and that she "had a lot of money''.
When one of the security officers asked her to cool down, she began hitting Mr Cheng in his arm and shouting vulgarities again. During the scuffle, Mr Cheng's glasses fell and were chipped.
The woman went into a nearby Japanese restaurant, where she complained to an assistant manager that her bag had been taken away from her. The latter accompanied her out of the restaurant.
Huang approached Mr Cheng and both engaged in a scuffle. Security officer Jeiv Anay from the condominium came and tried to calm her down. But Huang bit her in the left hand and hit her in the head.
Both women started to quarrel and Huang hit the security officer in the hand twice and abused her with vulgarities.
Huang later dozed off outside the restaurant.
When the police arrived, they found her reeking of alcohol. When woken up, she staggered as the police handed her a case card.
In mitigation, her lawyer Sunil Sudheesan, together with Ms Diana Ngiam, said his client had reacted the way she did because the taxi driver had held on to her handbag.
He said she had consumed alcohol due to work commitments, and she accepted responsibility for what she did at the time. She was contrite and very remorseful, he added.
He said Huang's company was extremely sympathetic and supportive of her and would continue to retain her.
Two other charges were taken into consideration in sentencing.
Huang could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000 for causing hurt. For abusing the security guard, the maximum penalty is $5,000 in fine and six months' jail.
