A former relief teacher who used criminal force on an intern was given 12 months of supervised probation on Thursday.

Besides having to do community service and attend psychotherapy sessions, Poh Sim Ying, 27, was ordered not to contact the victim, a 26-year-old teacher, by any mode of communication, electronic or otherwise.

Community Court Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan told Poh that she can keep only one Instagram account. She has since shut down accounts on the picture-sharing tool.

When the case was last heard in December, the prosecution told the court that Poh had continued to pester the victim, who felt Poh's postings on Instagram referred to her.

Poh pleaded guilty last October to two charges of using criminal force on the victim, who cannot be named due to a gag order.

The court was told that the victim was on bus service 106 on April 15 last year when Poh approached her and started touching her hair. She also held onto the victim's hands and held her by the waist.

The victim sought help from the bus driver, who stopped the vehicle along Commonwealth Avenue West for her to alight. Poh also got down.

When the victim flagged down a taxi and got in, Poh forced her way in, causing the driver to tell them to get off.

When Poh continued to follow her, the victim activated a hand-held alarm but Poh grabbed the device. The victim then went to a bus stop where there were other people. Undeterred, Poh continued to touch the victim and even tried to kiss her.

The victim called a friend to pick her up and Poh stopped when the car came.

Investigation showed that the victim had lodged several reports against Poh for harassing her from September 2012 to April last year.

Poh's lawyer Louis Joseph said his client deeply regretted her actions and her being a nuisance to the victim. She became depressed as she could not cope with the loss of the teaching career she had been passionate about all her life.

Her parents and sister, who were in court, signed a $5,000 bond to ensure her good behaviour.

Poh could have been jailed for up to three months and/or fined up to $500 on each charge.