Jail, fine for woman who caused ruckus in Huawei store over S$54 discounted phone promotion

• Ng Puay Chin called a Huawei store manager a “liar” and “scammer”
• She had not managed to secure a ticket to get one of the discounted handsets
• She confronted police officers and Huawei staff for 15 minutes, and was eventually restrained by three officers

SINGAPORE — Upset that she could not get her hands on a discounted Huawei phone, Ng Puay Chin verbally abused police officers and called the store manager a “liar” and a “scammer”.

The unemployed woman faced off with staff and police officers for 15 minutes, asking if one policeman was a hooligan and telling him that he could not touch her.

It took three officers to pin her down and arrest her after she crawled under a table.

On Thursday (Oct 22), the 54-year-old woman was sentenced to two weeks’ jail and fined S$1,000.

She had pleaded guilty to harassment and using criminal force on a public servant, with another three charges, including criminal trespass, considered for sentencing.

She committed the offences on July 26 last year, the first day of Huawei’s three-day National Day promotion. It was advertised online.

Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 50 or above could buy its Y6 Pro 2019 handsets, usually priced at S$198, for S$54. Customers could get a maximum of only two handsets.

On the first day, the Chinese technology giant apologised on its Facebook page that it was unable to provide the “vast majority” of customers with the promotion due to “overwhelming demand”.

At one of their outlets at Jem mall in Jurong East, about 300 people had already gathered outside the store at 10am.

The staff distributed tickets outside the store and verified the customers’ ages. Each person was entitled to two tickets and the store manager had only 46, leaving most customers empty-handed.

The crowd grew impatient and started to rush to the front, forcing the manager to tell them to disperse.

However, they remained outside and became agitated. Ng approached the manager, pointed her finger at him and called him a “liar” and a “scammer”, shouting at him to “watch out” and “be careful”.

‘ARE YOU A HOOLIGAN?’

The store opened at 11am and those outside rushed in, including Ng.

When she demanded to be issued a smartphone and the manager refused, she called him a liar and a scammer again.

She rallied those around her to be hostile towards him, and he told her she was disrupting business.

She refused to leave and the police were called to manage the crowd and attend to the dispute. Various officers tried to persuade her to leave, but she remained inside even when the store shutters were closed to all except ticket-holders.

When they warned her that she could be arrested, she raised her voice and said: “It’s okay, everyone is watching. I’m above 50 and a woman.”

Body-worn camera footage from one officer was played in court. It showed Ng telling him not to touch her or she would call the police.

When the officer replied that he was the police, she said: “That’s why I’m surprised you’re acting this way. Are you a hooligan?”

In the video footage, she repeatedly said that she was calling her lawyer. She also said at one point: “I’m above 50, I no rotan (caning), I’m a woman, I know my rights”, in reference to the fact that women cannot be caned under Singapore law.

Ng soon hid under a table to prevent being arrested.

As she was highly uncooperative, the officers decided to use the necessary force to remove her from the store, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Teo.

She struggled and was eventually restrained, while continuing to holler at passersby that Huawei was a scammer.

JUDGE REJECTS LAWYER’S ARGUMENT FOR FINE

In mitigation, Ng’s lawyer Tan Hee Joek asked for a fine instead, saying that her behaviour that day was “completely out of character”.

She had also mistakenly thought that a policewoman would arrest her, hence her struggle, the lawyer added.

District Judge Toh Han Li told the court that Ng was “continually defiant” to the police despite pleas for her to leave. She had also told those around her: “All of you take video, see how they treat me.”

He disagreed that a fine should be imposed as it was not an exceptional case, but noted that Ng pleaded guilty and expressed regret for her behaviour.

After she was sentenced, Ng exclaimed: “I was struggling and holding my bag, I didn’t have an intention to hurt (the police officer). I am very shameful of myself.”

She will begin serving her sentence on Nov 5.

For harassment, she could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$5,000 or both.

For using criminal force on a public servant, she could have been jailed for up to four years, fined or both.