SINGAPORE - A woman caught on video allegedly making racist remarks has had all three of her charges withdrawn after she was assessed to be suffering from a disorder where she has delusions that others intend to harm her.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said on Wednesday that the condition of Ms Tan Beow Hiong, 59, contributed significantly to her acts, and the prosecution then decided to give her a stern warning.
Following a pre-trial conference on Tuesday, the court granted her a discharge amounting to an acquittal, which means the Singaporean cannot be charged again with the same offences.
The AGC said Ms Tan’s condition – delusionary disorder of a persecutory nature – caused her to be impaired in her social judgment and accentuated any prejudice that she may have against others.
Ms Tan does not have insight into her condition, said a spokesman for the AGC.
She was also not willing to receive treatment under a mandatory treatment order if she were convicted of her offences.
Offenders given such an order upon conviction have to undergo treatment for their mental condition in lieu of jail time.
The AGC spokesman told ST that Ms Tan had earlier spent two weeks in remand.
Ms Tan first appeared in court in June 2021 and was handed two charges over acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups.
She was also charged with one count of being a public nuisance.
In April 2021, she allegedly maintained a channel on YouTube comprising multiple videos alleging racism or harassment by people of other races.
She was on an MRT train on April 21, 2021, when she allegedly singled out the other passengers and made derogatory remarks about them.
Ms Tan was also accused of being a public nuisance on another occasion on an MRT train on May 11, 2021. This time, she is said to have spoken loudly in a carriage, stating that she was not racist. She is also said to have made statements such as “We are very different”.
Her YouTube channel has been deleted and her employment as a property agent has been terminated.
Knight Frank Singapore, the property consultancy where she was an associate, said in a Facebook post in 2021 that it has zero tolerance for hate speech and racism.
Ms Tan has been delisted from the Council for Estate Agencies’ public register.
In an earlier statement to ST, YouTube said her channel was removed due to violations of its harassment and cyberbullying policies.
The AGC said on Wednesday that it takes a serious view of words or conduct that prejudice Singapore’s racial harmony and community relations.
Offenders who commit such acts will be dealt with accordingly, said its spokesman.
For each count of committing an act prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
For being a public nuisance, a person can be jailed for up to three months and fined up to $2,000.
