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singapore
Jessinta Tan Suat Lin, 50, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined $4,600 on Feb 11.
PHOTO: The Straits Times
PUBLISHED ON February 11, 2025 5:34 PMByChristine Tan
SINGAPORE — A woman who hit a neighbour with a mop until its aluminium handle broke into three pieces, and told her own teenage son she was going to kill his father in his sleep, has been sentenced to jail.
Jessinta Tan Suat Lin, 50, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined $4,600 on Feb 11.
Her lawyer said she suffers from anxiety and depression, but she was found to be unsuitable for a mandatory treatment order. Such an order mandates psychiatric treatment for offenders with mental health conditions in lieu of a jail term.
District Judge Crystal Goh said a psychiatrist found that Tan's conditions did not have a contributory link to her offences.
Tan had admitted on Jan 2 to three charges — one each for committing a rash act, voluntarily causing hurt and harassment. Two other charges, for harassment and another rash act, were taken into consideration in sentencing.
The housewife is a former journalist who previously worked with news platforms, including Today.
On the evening of Feb 16, 2024, Tan was at home in Westmont condominium in West Coast Road when her neighbour began exercising with a skipping rope at a common area near the swimming pool.
Frustrated by the activity because her teenage son wanted to rest, Tan approached the neighbour and asked her to stop exercising.
After the neighbour refused to stop, Tan hurled profanities at the woman and threw five or six eggs at her from a window at around 9.50pm.
About 10 minutes later, Tan attacked the woman with a mop. She bit her neighbour's arm and hit her on the head with the mop's aluminium handle until it broke into three pieces. She also threw a bag of rubbish and an incense bin at the woman, but missed.
The victim called the police and went to a hospital, where she was found to have injuries to her head and arms. Tan was arrested and bailed out by her husband. The neighbour subsequently moved out of the condo because of the incident.
About two months later, Tan and her husband had an argument over their parenting styles. It escalated to Tan telling their teenage son within earshot of her husband: "I will just kill him one day. He might just die one day in his sleep. One day, when I am really mad, he will die in his sleep. He better lock his door when he sleeps at night."
She had also used her mobile phone to send her husband a text message with vulgar language and claimed: "I'll jump bail next month."
Later that night, she threatened her husband, telling him she would tell the police he raped her.
He then made a police report against her over the threats.
Tan's lawyer, Ramachandran Shiever Subramanium, said on Feb 11 that his client would not reoffend and was truly remorseful for her actions.
For voluntarily causing hurt, she could have been jailed for up to three years and fined $5,000. She could have been jailed for up to six months and fined up to $2,500 for committing a rash act, and fined up to $5,000 for harassment.
singapore
Jail for ex-journalist who threatened to kill husband in his sleep, hit neighbour with mop
Jessinta Tan Suat Lin, 50, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined $4,600 on Feb 11.
PHOTO: The Straits Times
PUBLISHED ON February 11, 2025 5:34 PMByChristine Tan
SINGAPORE — A woman who hit a neighbour with a mop until its aluminium handle broke into three pieces, and told her own teenage son she was going to kill his father in his sleep, has been sentenced to jail.
Jessinta Tan Suat Lin, 50, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined $4,600 on Feb 11.
Her lawyer said she suffers from anxiety and depression, but she was found to be unsuitable for a mandatory treatment order. Such an order mandates psychiatric treatment for offenders with mental health conditions in lieu of a jail term.
District Judge Crystal Goh said a psychiatrist found that Tan's conditions did not have a contributory link to her offences.
Tan had admitted on Jan 2 to three charges — one each for committing a rash act, voluntarily causing hurt and harassment. Two other charges, for harassment and another rash act, were taken into consideration in sentencing.
The housewife is a former journalist who previously worked with news platforms, including Today.
On the evening of Feb 16, 2024, Tan was at home in Westmont condominium in West Coast Road when her neighbour began exercising with a skipping rope at a common area near the swimming pool.
Frustrated by the activity because her teenage son wanted to rest, Tan approached the neighbour and asked her to stop exercising.
After the neighbour refused to stop, Tan hurled profanities at the woman and threw five or six eggs at her from a window at around 9.50pm.
About 10 minutes later, Tan attacked the woman with a mop. She bit her neighbour's arm and hit her on the head with the mop's aluminium handle until it broke into three pieces. She also threw a bag of rubbish and an incense bin at the woman, but missed.
The victim called the police and went to a hospital, where she was found to have injuries to her head and arms. Tan was arrested and bailed out by her husband. The neighbour subsequently moved out of the condo because of the incident.
About two months later, Tan and her husband had an argument over their parenting styles. It escalated to Tan telling their teenage son within earshot of her husband: "I will just kill him one day. He might just die one day in his sleep. One day, when I am really mad, he will die in his sleep. He better lock his door when he sleeps at night."
She had also used her mobile phone to send her husband a text message with vulgar language and claimed: "I'll jump bail next month."
Later that night, she threatened her husband, telling him she would tell the police he raped her.
He then made a police report against her over the threats.
Tan's lawyer, Ramachandran Shiever Subramanium, said on Feb 11 that his client would not reoffend and was truly remorseful for her actions.
For voluntarily causing hurt, she could have been jailed for up to three years and fined $5,000. She could have been jailed for up to six months and fined up to $2,500 for committing a rash act, and fined up to $5,000 for harassment.
