Indian-origin woman jailed for assaulting Singapore police officer

Singapore, June 26 

A 21-year-old Indian-origin woman in Singapore was jailed for three months on Wednesday for assaulting a police officer who tried to question her about a scuffle involving at least six people.

Resshmi B Rasmi shoved Station Inspector Gerald Chan Wee Ming in the chest and pinned him against a wall in a chokehold while he was trying to question her and several others at Orchard Towers shopping centre, a shopping complex with pubs, in October.

Chan, 42, managed to break free from her but Rasmi became violent when his police colleagues tried to arrest her, the Straits Times reported.

The woman struggled and swung her arms around, smacking the left hand of another policeman, 21-year-old Sergeant Chng Yong En, the report said.

She was arrested after more police officers arrived at the scene.

Rasmi pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting Station Inspector Chan.

One count of using criminal force on Sergeant Chng was considered during sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Zhi Hao said that at around 10 am on October 27 last year, police received a call about a commotion in front of a club in the Orchard Road shopping mall.

The policemen arrived at the scene and saw a scuffle involving a group of least six people, including Rasmi.

They managed to defuse the situation and were trying to find out more about it when a man from the group suddenly ran into a nearby toilet.

The other people, including Rasmi, followed him inside, and the officers called for backup, as they did not want to lose control of the situation.

Tan said the group became increasingly rowdy and the two officers blocked the door of the toilet to stop them from leaving.

When the officers attempted again to establish the facts of the incident, "the group refused to comply and tried to push their way out of the toilet", Tan said.

Rasmi, who was inside the toilet, then charged towards Chan and assaulted him. The officer had a bruise and a scratch mark on his chest and was given two days of medical leave.

On Wednesday, Tan told District Judge Luke Tan that Rasmi's actions "could potentially have caused the incident to escalate".

Offenders convicted of assaulting a policeman can be jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned. Rasmi cannot be caned, as she is a woman. — PTI