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Rochelle Chow Shuting at the State Courts in 2019, and police bodyworn camera footage of her lifting her leg to kick. (Photos: TODAY, court documents)
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SINGAPORE: A property agent was sentenced on Friday (Nov 11) to 16 weeks' jail and a S$1,500 fine, more than six years after a drunken display after attending a wedding and losing her way in a car park.
Rochelle Chow Shuting, 35, was convicted of one count each of behaving in a disorderly manner and hurting a police officer to deter him from discharging his duty.
Chow intends to appeal against her conviction and sentence.
According to charge sheets, Chow was at the Parkroyal on Pickering hotel when the incident occurred at about 5.30pm on Aug 13, 2019.
She had gone there for a wedding, TODAY reported then, and a security guard was called in to keep an eye on her after she had a dispute with some wedding guests.
TODAY reported that Chow, who had consumed several glasses of wine, managed to get to her car at the hotel's car park, but was unable to find her way out. She alighted and began screaming.
The security guard then called the police for help as he was unable to contain her. He said she had hit a car and was violent.
When the police arrived, three of them handcuffed Chow's hands behind her back, court documents stated.
Her mobile phone then dropped on the ground, and Sergeant Muhammad Taufiq Zainudin squatted down to pick it up.
Body-worn camera footage from the police showed that as SGT Taufiq stood up, Chow lifted her right leg towards him while shouting "No!" and "that's my phone!".
The prosecution's case was that Chow then intentionally kicked SGT Taufiq, leaving tenderness and a bruise over his right thigh.
Police bodyworn camera footage showing Rochelle Chow Shuting looking down as the police officer bends to pick her phone up. (Photo: Court documents)
Chow claimed trial to her charges, in a case that was drawn out for more than four years.
She claimed there was no contact between her and the police officer, and that his injury could have been sustained during work or a fall in the car park.
Police footage captured part of Chow's leg being raised, but did not capture the kick.
She pleaded guilty in April 2019, then retracted her guilty plea in 2020 after her defence tendered a mitigation plea.
At this point, Chow filed a sworn statement saying she had been too intoxicated to recall the events at the car park.
But in court she said she could now remember, and claimed that she was trying to pick her phone up from the ground using her right leg.
She then changed her defence again and claimed that she had lifted her right leg while trying to regain her balance.
Defence lawyer Sarbrinder Singh said his client had not conducted her trial in a frivolous manner, and that it was not a case where "it was a totally hopeless defence". There were witnesses present who had supported the defence's case, he said.
In sentencing, the judge said she looked at the harm caused to the victim, which was not as serious as another case used for comparison.
However, she took into account that it was in the context of a somewhat-prolonged police engagement with Chow, in part because she had chosen to drink alcohol to the point of intoxication.
Singapore
Property agent gets jail and fine for drunken behaviour, kicking police officer
Rochelle Chow Shuting's lawyers claimed she was trying to pick up her phone with her leg. They later said she was lifting the leg to regain balance.
New: You can now listen to articles.
Sorry, the audio is unavailable right now. Please try again later.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: A property agent was sentenced on Friday (Nov 11) to 16 weeks' jail and a S$1,500 fine, more than six years after a drunken display after attending a wedding and losing her way in a car park.
Rochelle Chow Shuting, 35, was convicted of one count each of behaving in a disorderly manner and hurting a police officer to deter him from discharging his duty.
Chow intends to appeal against her conviction and sentence.
According to charge sheets, Chow was at the Parkroyal on Pickering hotel when the incident occurred at about 5.30pm on Aug 13, 2019.
She had gone there for a wedding, TODAY reported then, and a security guard was called in to keep an eye on her after she had a dispute with some wedding guests.
TODAY reported that Chow, who had consumed several glasses of wine, managed to get to her car at the hotel's car park, but was unable to find her way out. She alighted and began screaming.
The security guard then called the police for help as he was unable to contain her. He said she had hit a car and was violent.
When the police arrived, three of them handcuffed Chow's hands behind her back, court documents stated.
Her mobile phone then dropped on the ground, and Sergeant Muhammad Taufiq Zainudin squatted down to pick it up.
Body-worn camera footage from the police showed that as SGT Taufiq stood up, Chow lifted her right leg towards him while shouting "No!" and "that's my phone!".
The prosecution's case was that Chow then intentionally kicked SGT Taufiq, leaving tenderness and a bruise over his right thigh.
Chow claimed trial to her charges, in a case that was drawn out for more than four years.
She claimed there was no contact between her and the police officer, and that his injury could have been sustained during work or a fall in the car park.
Police footage captured part of Chow's leg being raised, but did not capture the kick.
FRIVOLOUS DEFENCE: PROSECUTOR
The prosecution sought four to five months' jail and a fine of S$2,000 for her. Deputy Public Prosecutor Samuel Chew said the chronology of legal proceedings showed the "frivolity" of the defence's case, and how Chow changed her defence at various stages.She pleaded guilty in April 2019, then retracted her guilty plea in 2020 after her defence tendered a mitigation plea.
At this point, Chow filed a sworn statement saying she had been too intoxicated to recall the events at the car park.
But in court she said she could now remember, and claimed that she was trying to pick her phone up from the ground using her right leg.
She then changed her defence again and claimed that she had lifted her right leg while trying to regain her balance.
Defence lawyer Sarbrinder Singh said his client had not conducted her trial in a frivolous manner, and that it was not a case where "it was a totally hopeless defence". There were witnesses present who had supported the defence's case, he said.
In sentencing, the judge said she looked at the harm caused to the victim, which was not as serious as another case used for comparison.
However, she took into account that it was in the context of a somewhat-prolonged police engagement with Chow, in part because she had chosen to drink alcohol to the point of intoxication.
