Jail, fine for woman who tried to bribe cop at illegal gathering amid pandemic

A woman, caught being part of an illegal gathering, tried to bribe a police officer with $100 so that she would be let off.

The officer refused to accept the money.

Chinese national Chen Yuanyuan, 28, was one of 15 people at a Chinese New Year gathering held illegally amid pandemic restrictions last year.

Yesterday, Chen was jailed for 10 weeks and fined $3,000 after she pleaded guilty to offences including bribery and flouting Covid-19 measures.

She was also convicted of kicking a police officer in a separate offence, while four other charges were taken into consideration.

The court heard that the police responded to a report of an illegal party being held at a unit at 1 Pemimpin Drive in an industrial area on Feb 25 last year at around 2am. When they arrived, the officers found 15 partygoers, aged 26 to 40. Covid-19 restrictions at the time allowed only up to eight people at any social gathering.

Chen and her fellow partygoers drank alcohol, played games and sang songs.

Deputy public prosecutors Ben Tan and Tessa Tan said: "There were no measures taken to reduce the risk of infection among the attendees of the social gathering."

As the police officers searched Chen and her belongings, she took out a stack of cash and offered it to an officer.

She did so again when the officer refused. She then took a $100 note and offered it to the officer, insisting she could not take it back.

The officer warned Chen that it was bribery and reported the matter to her superior.

Most of the other partygoers have been dealt with in court and fined, court documents stated.

In a separate incident in January last year, Chen kicked two police officers while she was drunk at night.

The officers were responding to a report that she was creating a ruckus in Tanjong Pagar.

The police found Chen on the floor and asked her to unlock her phone to arrange for a friend to pick her up.

She gave them the wrong passcode several times and became agitated, turning aggressive and kicking one of the officers several times on his leg.

She was arrested and put in the backseat of a police car, but continued to kick another officer's legs, causing the officer to suffer a minor abrasion, noted the prosecutors.

Those found guilty of corruptly offering gratification can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.

For using criminal force to deter a public servant from doing his duty, an offender can be jailed for up to four years and fined.