Second mandatory treatment order unsuitable for woman who wounded neighbour's religious feelings

Lee Dji Lin was given her first mandatory treatment order in June 2017 for acts such as placing raw pork outside her neighbour's home. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

SINGAPORE - A woman convicted of wounding the religious feelings of her Malay-Muslim neighbour for the second time, has been found to be unsuitable for another mandatory treatment order (MTO).

Lee Dji Lin, 66, was given her first MTO in June 2017 for acts such as placing raw pork outside Madam Marliah Jonet's home.

Offenders given an MTO have to undergo treatment for their mental condition in lieu of jail time.

But two months before the two-year order ended, Lee, who has delusional disorder, targeted her 63-year-old neighbour again in April this year.

On Thursday (Dec 12), District Judge Brenda Tan called for a report to assess Lee's suitability for a probation.

An earlier report had found Lee unsuitable for another MTO but the details were not revealed in court.

Defence lawyer Chung Ting Fai, who urged the court to call for a report on Lee's suitability for probation, said she is in the process of moving out of her home and is undergoing psychiatric treatment. She is also "prepared to apologise" to Madam Marliah, he added.

Lee pleaded guilty in court last month to two counts of wounding the religious feelings of the younger woman.

The court heard that Lee lives in an eighth-floor flat in Tampines that is directly above the home of Madam Marliah.

In 2016, she threw raw pork at the front door of Madam Marliah's flat, among other acts.

On April 24 this year, Madam Marliah was cleaning her home with her daughter when Lee became unhappy with the vacuuming noise.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Vincent Ong had said last month: "The accused shouted the words, 'anak babi' in Malay, which means 'baby pig' in English, within the hearing of the victim.

"The accused had... the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of the victim."

Madam Marliah alerted the police later that day.

On June 11, she was cleaning her home when she heard Lee shouting insults directed at her. Feeling aggrieved, Madam Marliah called the police.

Lee will be sentenced on Jan 23 next year.

Offenders convicted of wounding another person's religious feelings can be jailed for up to three years and fined for each charge.

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