Woman jailed 3 weeks for assaulting cabby over unpaid fare
A 30-year-old Taiwanese broker who was caught on video assaulting her taxi driver after she refused to pay the taxi fare was sentenced to three weeks’ jail. Photo: Social Media
SINGAPORE — She was so drunk she forgot to pay her cab fare. But, when chased by the driver to do so, Dina Huang Chih-Yung instead launched into a physical and verbal assault on him and a security guard at a condominium.
On Tuesday (Jan 2), the 30-year-old broker was sentenced to three weeks’ jail and a S$1,000 fine for causing hurt to the cabby Cheng Teck Wei and harassing the security guard, in an incident caught on film and circulated on social media. Two similar charges were taken into consideration for her sentencing.
Huang boarded Mr Cheng’s taxi at Marina Bay Sands at around 11.15pm on Dec 7, 2016, after having drunk 700ml of sake. She said she wanted to go to Enggor Street in Tanjong Pagar, then fell asleep during the ride.
When they arrived, Huang left without paying, and Mr Cheng chased after her, holding onto her handbag to prevent her from leaving.
A tussle ensued, and she hit and attempted to kick him, while his spectacles fell onto the floor, chipping both lenses. Even after Mr Cheng let go of her handbag, Huang spewed vulgarities at him, saying she “had a lot of money”, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Mark Yeo.
When she heard Mr Cheng recounting their altercation to a security supervisor who had checked on the commotion, Huang lost it again, hitting Mr Cheng’s arm and hurling more abuse at him.
She then walked away to a Japanese restaurant a short distance away but did not stop shouting, prompting staff of the eatery to escort her out.
Huang assaulted Mr Cheng for a third time before security officer Jeivanay Alimuthu tried calming her down. Huang turned her attacks on Ms Jeivanay instead, grabbing and biting her, before attempting to kick her, while shouting vulgarities.
The two victims suffered minor injuries.
Pleading for leniency on Tuesday, defence lawyer Sunil Sudheesan said his client was contrite and “accepted responsibility for her actions”.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Huang could have been jailed up to two years, and/or fined up to S$5,000. She could have been jailed up to six months, and/or fined up to S$5,000 for harassing both Mr Cheng and Ms Jeivanay.
