The woman who was shown in a viral video arguing with a female police officer in plain clothes was sentenced to jail on Oct. 25, 2023.
Han Feizi, 29, was accused of screaming, shouting and being a public nuisance at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), using abusive language against a security officer and an SGH nurse, working as a hostess illegally, among others.
Han pleaded guilty to five out of the eight charges against her. The other three charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Han was sentenced to five weeks and five days in jail, and a fine of S$600.
Court packed
Han first appeared in court from her place of remand via video link on Oct. 25, 2023 without her large spectacles.
She appeared tired and had bags under her eyes.
She put on her spectacles when interacting with the court interpreter, who spoke in Mandarin.
The spectacles had a large black square frame covering a third of her face. She was wearing a white round-collar T-shirt with black sleeves.
She would periodically take off and put her spectacles back on throughout the nearly two-hour hearing.
The court was packed with members of the media and the public, the majority of whom were men of all ages.
"The Sail" incident
The court heard that a male security supervisor working at The Sail at Marina Bay had called the police about a "drunk resident" who needed assistance.
The male security supervisor had found Han squatting at a lift lobby in the condo.
Han told the male security supervisor that she had drunk a bottle of alcohol and was drunk.
After verifying that she was a resident, the security supervisor and his female colleague helped Han back to her unit.
While waiting for the lift, Han turned aggressive, and she pointed her finger at the male security supervisor.
In the lift, she used her hand to push the security supervisor's neck and hurled the vulgarity "cao ni ma" (Mandarin expletive directed at one's mother) at him.
She continued to shout "cao ni ma" at the male security supervisor and pushed him in the chest area when the trio were in the vicinity of her unit at The Sail.
The court heard that she shouted "cao ni ma" at least five times.
SGH incident
The court heard that Han was at the SGH Accident and Emergency (A&E) department on Oct. 10, 2023 to seek medical attention after a private hire vehicle allegedly collided with her.
Han admitted that she was drunk at the time as she had drunk a bottle of alcohol.
The private hire driver dropped Han off at SGH A&E, where she was helped into a wheelchair and started screaming and shouting that the driver was abandoning her.
When the SGH staff handed Han a mask and told her to wear it, Han threw it onto the floor.
She also swore at the staff, uttering "cao ni ma".
In a previous response to Mothership, SGH said the police were called in after Han allegedly did not calm down despite SGH's clinical and security staff's repeated attempts to smooth things over.
Han later filmed parts of her interaction with the attending police officers and allegedly uploaded the videos on her Douyin account.
The videos were later shared and circulated on social media platforms like TikTok, where they went viral.
Came to Singapore for fun and worked as hostess
The court heard that Han was arrested on Oct. 11, 2023.
On the same day, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) received information about Han's possible offences.
The court heard that Han applied for a work permit after her student pass application was rejected.
She not only filled up the work permit application without attempting to understand its contents, which were in English but also falsely declared her occupation as a clerk at KDL Elements.
Han, who never intended to work as a clerk, said the "only reason she wanted to enter Singapore was for fun" and worked as a freelance hostess from Aug. 1, 2023 to Oct. 11, 2023 instead.
Pleaded guilty to five charges
On Oct. 13, Han received six charges for the SGH and The Sail @ Marina Bay incidents.
On Oct. 24, she was handed two more charges for allegedly falsely declaring her occupation in her application for a work permit.
In total, Han faced a total of eight charges, and they are as follows:
- One count of public nuisance;
- Two counts of using abusive language against public service worker or public servant;
- Two counts of assaulting or using criminal force on security officer;
- One count of intentionally causing harassment; and
- Two counts under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
She was unrepresented and spoke through a Mandarin interpreter when she pleaded guilty to five of the charges against her.
The other three charges were taken into consideration.
Mitigation letter read in court
Han prepared a letter to be read by the interpreter during mitigation.
Here's a portion of her letter, as read by her interpreter:
First time travelling overseas
"Your honour, I am Han Feizi.
I wish to express my deepest apologies and remorse for the offences and the incidents.
I am very remorseful for my actions.
This is my first time travelling overseas, and I didn't expect that I would be caught in this situation.
This is my first time living in a foreign land, and this is my first time living on my own for a month.
I am very sorry. I'm not familiar with the law in Singapore. I should not have reacted in the way that I did.
Claims she was "very distressed"
"Pertaining to the incident with the Grab driver, because I was involved in a traffic accident, I was at that time frantic and helpless.
When I arrived at the A&E, I was feeling very distressed, so I shouted loudly, hoping someone would assist me there.
This is my first time travelling overseas. Please give me a chance to return to my family in China as soon as possible and also nurse my injuries.
Claims three of her kin are cancer-stricken
I also wish to share that three of my closest kin are cancer-stricken, one of whom is in the last stage of cancer.
Before I came to Singapore, the meaning of life for me, my purpose, was to earn as much as possible so as to provide for my family and to alleviate the financial burdens and stress suffered by the family.
There is a lot of financial hardship ... I just want to earn enough so that I can support my family.
When I was held in custody, I reflected on my mistakes, and I also thought of the situation where my family members would just leave me even before I returned to them because, for me, unexpected events can happen, but I do not know when it will happen.
Says she should have acted with "greater understanding" of Singapore
"I would like to extend my utmost apologies with regard to the comments I have made on social media and the videos I have posted in the media.
Lastly, Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-social society, and I ought to have acted with greater understanding.
I should not have shouted in public, and I should not have used those words
I sincerely apologise for my actions."
Han stood up, gave a deep bow after the interpreter finished reading her letter and said, "I'm sorry."
MOM said Han has been to Singapore four times since 2019
In response to Han's letter and claims, the deputy public prosecutor and MOM prosecutor clarified that Han has been to Singapore four times since September 2019, not including this trip when the incidents at SGH and The Sail occurred.
When asked to clarify, Han said she came to Singapore once or twice, with each trip lasting between three to four days.
However, she eventually conceded to the prosecutors when the MOM prosecutor detailed the exact dates she entered and exited Singapore.
Han had no excuse for her "belligerent", "aggressive" behaviour
During sentencing, the judge said multiple times that Han had no excuse for her behaviour, especially when the victims were trying to help her in both incidents.
He described her behaviour as "loutish", "belligerent", and "aggressive" and said that her intoxication was an aggravating factor.
He also noted that Han expressed remorse and said quite early on that she intended to plead guilty.
After passing the sentence, the judge asked if Han had anything to say, she said:
"I am sorry for causing inconvenience to everyone. These incidents have taught me a valuable lesson. I will not re-offend in the future and I thank your honour for the fair sentence."
Her jail sentence was backdated to the date of her arrest Oct. 11, 2023.
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Top image from Han Feizi/Douyin