Woman Hit Safe-Distancing Officer After She Was Caught Breaking COVID-19 Rules; Sentenced to a Week’s Jailtime

By
Zhi Hao
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It appears that safe distancing ambassadors are fast becoming a criminally underrated vocation in our nation, or perhaps in any part of the world.

After all, they have to contend with angry spats, insults or as the following case entails;

Foot-breaking on a bicycle level. 

Woman Hit Safe-Distancing Officer After She Was Caught Breaking COVID-19 Rules; Sentenced to a Week’s Jailtime

According to The Straits Times, Singapore citizen Pham Thi Mai Thao has been sentenced to one week’s imprisonment for committing a rash act.

As for the crime of passion here?

Running her bicycle over a safe distancing ambassador’s foot.

According to the news report, the incident occurred at Geylang Serai Market in August 2020. At the time, barricades were implemented at the market to limit the number of personnel there.

At around 8:40 a.m., Thao was spotted conversing with a stall owner through a barricade — an act that did not escape the attention of a safe distancing ambassador.

The ambassador then instructed her to refrain from any transactions, as it would count as a safety breach. In response, Thao stated that she was just conversing.

But it seems that the conversation would soon spiral into one of monetary value.

Despite the ambassador’s protests and efforts, Thao managed to pass money through the barricade. She then tried to make a quick getaway with the ‘purchased’ items.

The ambassador, however, stood bravely in front of her power-assisted bicycle, a notion that may remind some of the ever-formidable Batman.

When she ran the front wheel over his foot, however, he swiftly made to step aside. Thao then embarked on another ill-intentioned, bicycle-assisted lunge, and managed to hit his right shin.

In a bid to defend himself, he clutched onto her bike. But that only served to anger her further.

Evidently frustrated with the local rendition of Batman, Thao hit his arm.

It was then that the assistant director of the National Environment Agency called the police.

Thankfully, the safety ambassador did not sustain any significant injuries.

Sentencing

In court, the prosecution pushed for a sentence of a week’s jail for Thao. And District Judge Marvin Bay agreed, noting that the woman had assaulted the ambassador three times in total.

“While the injuries were not significant, it is utterly unacceptable for acts of violence to be visited on safe distancing ambassadors, who are simply doing their job in protecting the public,” he said.

Thao will serve her sentence in a week’s time.

Previous Altercations

Unfortunately, such instances are far from non-existent.

Ever since the authorities released safe distancing ambassadors into the wilderness that is our city, countless arguments have ensued with annoyed residents who don’t like being told what to do.

On 12 April last year, a man reportedly struck a safe distancing ambassador’s hand, causing her phone to fall.

He then fled.

And in one instance, an NParks safe-distancing officer was even stabbed for his efforts.

But to be fair, there have also been safe-distancing ambassadors with less than benign intentions.

A social distancing officer who was stationed at Tampines, for instance, had allegedly abused his position as an authoritative figure.

The social distancing officer had allegedly entered the store multiple times every other day to “disturb” the staff.

The officer would allegedly harass the staff with threats of writing reports and taking photos if they were to breach any measures, claiming that the staff had to stand 1-metre apart while they were serving customers.

As my colleague so aptly puts it:

“Safe distancing ambassadors – heroes to some, a bane to others.”

Featured Image: Oleg Elkov / Shutterstock.com

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]