Property agent who caused ruckus, kicked policeman was suffering from PTSD, alcohol use disorder: Lawyers
As part of Rochelle Chow Shuting’s mitigation plea, the lawyers added that their client’s psychiatrist said her reaction was a “one-off” and “out of character”, and was due to her mental illnesses.
SINGAPORE — A property agent who left a wedding drunk, got into a dispute with some guests and kicked a policeman in 2017 was then suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder, her defence lawyers said on Tuesday (June 11).
As part of Rochelle Chow Shuting’s mitigation plea, the lawyers added that their client’s psychiatrist said her reaction was a “one-off” and “out of character”, and was due to her mental illnesses.
Chow was due to be sentenced on Tuesday, but District Judge Mathew Joseph ordered her to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks for psychiatric observation. She will return to court on June 25.
In a report dated April last year, the psychiatrist, Dr Ng Beng Yeong, noted that Chow became wary of strangers and developed a “tendency to react swiftly to sudden motion in the surroundings”, following an incident at a club around 2012 where she was “grabbed by a male stranger”.
In that incident, Chow claimed that she was frightened and fought back, but the man returned with a glass bottle. She stopped going to clubs after that.
Separately, she also started drinking alcohol to get over an incident in 2015, where she was allegedly cheated of a large sum of money by a business partner. She told Dr Ng that she would not remember what happened after she got intoxicated.
Chow’s lawyer Josephus Tan told the court on Tuesday that since her offences, Chow has quit drinking and passed her real estate exams.
Chow had pleaded guilty in April to one charge of committing riotous, disorderly or indecent behaviour in public, and another charge of causing hurt to deter a public servant from performing his duty.
For riotous, disorderly or indecent behaviour in a public place, she could be fined up to S$2,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
Separately, she could be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both for causing hurt to deter a public servant from performing his duty.
While the prosecution is seeking three months’ jail and a S$1,000 fine, Mr Tan asked for a non-custodial sentence.
WHAT HAPPENED
The incidents took place at the car park of Parkroyal on Pickering hotel at about 5pm on Aug 13, 2017.
The court heard then that as soon as Chow was leaving the wedding, a security guard was called in to keep an eye on her, due to her dispute with some wedding guests.
Chow managed to get to her car at the hotel’s car park, located on the third floor. But when she was unable to find her way out, she got out of her car and started screaming. Her relatives who were present were unable to pacify her or stop her from doing so.
Unable to contain the accused, the security guard, Mr Muhammad Hairul Abdul Halim, called the police for help, stating that Chow had hit one of the cars at Parkroyal and that she was violent.
When the police arrived, Chow continued to cry and shout.
The police then proceeded to place her under arrest, but she struggled and kicked a uniformed police officer, 26-year-old Muhammad Taufiq Zainudin, on his right thigh.
The altercation was captured on video through a body-worn camera worn by another police officer.
