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When 36-year-old Zhou Dani, a Chinese national, was upset that her Singaporean lover wanted to break things off with her, she went to his house in September 2021, intent on changing his mind.
Zhou believed he would choose to settle down with her, even though he was married and had a child.
She ended up grabbing one of his golf clubs to smash his car and house windows. The golf club was destroyed in the process.
Zhou was arrested and charged with mischief, criminal trespass, and criminal intimidation.
She was sentenced to two weeks' jail after pleading guilty to two of the charges, with the third charge taken into consideration.
Climbed over the metal gate
According to a written judgement made publicly available on Jun. 27, 2023, Zhou had known her ex-lover for more than four years before the incident.
On the day of the incident, Zhou arrived at her lover's house and demanded through WhatsApp for him to come out of his house.
She wanted to talk about the two children she claimed she had with him during the affair.
However, he refused to come out to meet her, causing Zhou to repeatedly press the doorbell, arousing the attention of his family members, who came out of the house to attend to her.
Meanwhile, her ex-lover stayed in the house. He urged her not to cause a nuisance, but she climbed over the metal gate of the landed property instead.
Smashed the car and house
Once inside, she sent him a close-up photograph of his car and main door and threatened to “crush” the car. She also threatened to kill his mother if he did not come out.
After a few minutes, Zhou grabbed one of his golf clubs and smashed his car’s body, windows, and door. She also damaged one of his house’s windows. The golf club was broken in the end.
Zhou's ex-lover then called the police claiming there was a "lady stalker" in his house.
When the police arrived, Zhou was still in the midst of smashing her ex-lover’s house windows, but stopped when the police ordered her to. She admitted to drinking beer beforehand and was arrested shortly thereafter.
The next day afternoon, she sent a message to her ex-lover through WhatsApp, stating, “I will kill all you b*st*rds".
Investigations assessed the damages to be around S$18,361.67. Zhou's ex-lover spent S$17,611.67 to repair his car, paid S$250 to replace his house window, and the golf club was worth S$500 before it was broken.
Had psychiatric issues but alcohol main culprit
Zhou was sentenced to two weeks of prison and was also ordered to compensate the victim S$18,361.67.
As a private psychiatrist diagnosed Zhou with adjustment disorder during her offences, the district judge ordered a Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO) Suitability Report after she pleaded guilty.
However, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) psychiatrist who prepared the report opined that she was unsuitable for MTO.
The psychiatrist assessed that Zhou not only had an adjustment disorder with a depressed mood but was also intoxicated with alcohol.
She pointed out that when Zhou expressed immediate regret over her actions once she was sober suggested that it was alcohol intoxication and not her adjustment disorder that was the main contributor to her behaviours during the offences.
The psychiatrist also noted Zhou's past non-adherence to treatment due to "cost concerns", her current paranoid delusions against the IMH team and doubts about the treatment offered.
She concluded that all these coupled with Zhou's lack of social support, made her not a suitable candidate for an MTO, which requires one to adhere to a regimented treatment programme.
Found not suitable for mandatory treatment
Principal District Judge Victor Yeo noted that in light of the report, he did not think it would be appropriate to make an MTO order.
Hence, he considered the sentencing submissions of the prosecution on the defence, which differed on whether Zhou should be put in jail.
The prosecution submitted that a jail term of four to five weeks would be appropriate as the value of the damages is high, and she had not shown "genuine remorse" by sending the intimidating message the day after the incident.
On the other hand, Zhou's defence counsel argued for a fine, pointing out that she has a psychiatric condition.
Claimed her ex-lover had another woman
In the mitigation plea, he also gave Zhou's version of events.
Zhou explained that she had been in a relationship with her ex-lover since 2017.
She claimed that while they had a "volatile relationship", she always believed he would settle down with her.
However, she discovered in late 2020 that he had been seeing "another woman", and their relationship took a turn for the worse in August 2021 when he wanted to call it quits.
Zhou said her psychiatric condition started then as she felt humiliated.
Zhou's defence counsel further explained that Zhou claimed her ex-lover agreed to meet her on the day of the offence but became uncontactable. She became upset and had a few cans of beer.
After that, she decided to look for him at his home while drunk.
Zhou claimed that when she arrived, his mother and a domestic helper came out of the house to film her on their phones, which caused her to feel derided and angry.
She also claimed that after she climbed into the house, her ex-lover appeared and accused her of being "mentally unsound". It prompted her to fly into an "uncontrollable rage".
Judge sentenced her to jail instead of fine
On deciding Zhou's two-week imprisonment sentence, Yeo explained that he "could not ignore the extensive damages caused" to the victim's properties and several other aggravating factors.
He pointed out that a golf club is a dangerous instrument and could cause "maximum damage" when used as a weapon.
Yeo noted that her "violent and destructive behaviour" persisted for almost half an hour, and if not for the "arrival and timely intervention by the police", she could have caused further damage or even harm to people.
Yeo also emphasised that it is established in Singapore's courts that any offences committed while voluntarily intoxicated would warrant a more severe sentence, as "offenders who voluntarily imbibe alcohol must, in the usual course of events, take full responsibility" for their offences.
Compensation ordered
The prosecution also sought a compensation order for the damages Zhou had caused to the victim.
Zhou had not made any compensation as she previously indicated she would only pay up if her ex-lover were willing to meet her.
Her defence counsel said Zhou is willing to compensate but disputes the amount and asked for the damages to be assessed at the civil courts instead.
However, Yeo disagreed as there was no dispute that Zhou caused the damages, and the cost of the repairs was easily ascertainable.
He ordered Zhou to pay S$18,361.67 in compensation to the victim.
Zhou has filed an appeal against her sentence and the compensation order.
She is currently on bail pending appeal.
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