A 30-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to using criminal force against a police officer after she tried to grab the officer’s pistol while police were dealing with a dispute at her ex-boyfriend’s home.
Chinese national Yu Meng pleaded guilty on Wednesday, 9 September, to using criminal force to deter a public servant from carrying out his duties.
Another charge under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act will be taken into consideration when she is sentenced.
Ex-Boyfriend Called Police After She Entered His Home
The incident happened on 13 October 2024 at a house along Swettenham Road, near the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
According to Shin Min Daily News, Yu and the man had dated from September 2023 until April 2024 and had already broken up by the time of the incident.
Her former boyfriend called the police after Yu entered his home. He told police that the doors and windows of the house had not been locked.
Officers subsequently arrived and spoke to the man inside the house before taking Yu outside.
Court documents also showed that Yu had allegedly entered the same property without permission in September 2024 after climbing over a wall.
That earlier incident remains an allegation.
Tried to Take Officer’s Pistol
While officers were taking Yu away from the house during the October incident, she reached towards one officer’s pistol.
According to the charge sheets cited by Mothership, she deliberately used her hands to touch the area around the officer’s pistol and holster.
The officer pushed her hands away before she could take the weapon, and Yu was arrested at the scene.
Under Section 353 of the Penal Code, a person who assaults or uses criminal force against a public servant carrying out their duty, including to prevent or deter that person from performing the duty, can be jailed for up to four years, fined, or both.
Prosecution Seeks Four to Five Weeks’ Jail
The prosecution has asked the court to sentence Yu to between four and five weeks’ jail.
Her lawyer told the court that she had previously experienced mental health difficulties and had been receiving treatment at the Institute of Mental Health. The defence asked the judge to consider a mandatory treatment order instead.
A mandatory treatment order requires an offender with a treatable psychiatric condition to undergo psychiatric treatment. Before such an order can be made, an appointed psychiatrist must assess the offender, including whether the psychiatric condition contributed to the offence. An order can last for up to 36 months.
Yu’s case has been adjourned to 15 September for sentencing.
