Woman harassed bus driver after missing her stop, gets jail
Tan Chun Feng pulled on the bus driver's arm as he was trying to change lanes, before hitting his face, causing his glasses to fall off.
File photo of a bus driver. (Photo: iStock)
SINGAPORE: After missing her stop, a woman went up to the bus driver while the vehicle was in motion and cursed at him before pulling on his arm and striking his face, causing his glasses to fall off.
When she was placed in lock-up, she peeled the padded lining of the cell, with repairs costing S$1,638.
Tan Chun Feng, 38, was sentenced to eight weeks' jail on Wednesday (Nov 23). She pleaded guilty to three charges of a rash act endangering the personal safety of others, mischief and using abusive words.
The court heard that Tan boarded Bus 143 on the night of Oct 17 this year. However, she missed her stop and perceived that the bus driver had deliberately not allowed her to alight.
She walked up the length of the bus while it was in motion and took a video of the bus driver. She complained that he had bullied her and cursed at him.
The bus driver attempted to continue driving, but Tan continued to harass him. She realised that the driver was wearing a mask and that his identity could not be known, so she reached forward to pull his mask off.
The victim tried to fend her off with his arm. When he was attempting to execute a lane change, Tan pulled on his left arm and hit his face, causing his spectacles to fall off.
The driver later stopped the bus and waited for the police. Tan was arrested and taken to lock-up.
At about 3.20am the next day, she was transferred from a normal cell to a padded cell. Tan noticed a small tear in the lining of the padding.
Frustrated, she enlarged the tear by peeling it further. Repairs subsequently cost S$1,638.Â
The prosecutor said Tan was previously convicted of theft in 2020 and given a day's jail.Â
He said Tan's actions of confronting the victim while he was driving was dangerous, as the bus was in motion at the time.
Other commuters were on board and the driver was attempting to change lanes at the time, he said. However, there was no indication that the victim lost control of his vehicle.
In mitigation, Tan, who was remanded, said she was remorseful.
"I'm sorry that this incident happened," she said, adding that she would control her emotions more the next time. She also said that she was under a lot of stress.
The judge arranged for a court counsellor to speak to her after her sentence was passed.
