Woman, 26, throws beer bottle at Geylang restaurant staff & bites police officer, gets 12 weeks' jail

A 26-year-old woman was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail on Apr. 24 after she threw a beer bottle at a restaurant staff member in Geylang and bit a police officer who responded to the scene.

Gao Xiaotong, a Chinese national, faced six charges in total.

These included committing rash conduct, using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duties, and overstaying her visa.

She pleaded guilty to three of them, with the remaining taken into consideration during sentencing.

What happened

Citing court documents, Chinese-language daily Shin Min Daily News reported that Gao had been dining at XLX Modern Tze Char along Guillemard Road on Feb. 26.

A female supervisor, a Myanmar national, walked past her table while calling out to other staff.

According to the restaurant's closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, Gao suddenly pointed at the supervisor, grabbed a beer bottle, and hurled it at her.

The supervisor managed to dodge the bottle and fled indoors.

But Gao followed her into the restaurant, knocking over shelves and chairs, and threw a menu at another female employee.

When a male employee stepped in to intervene, she shoved them both.

Shortly after returning to her seat, she hurled a glass cup into the restaurant, shattering it.

Staff subsequently called the police.

Bit a police officer's shoulder

Two police officers later arrived at the scene and one of them asked Gao to produce identification, Shin Min reported.

However, she pushed him aside and attempted to leave.

Officers then grabbed her arm to prevent her from walking onto the road, and a scuffle broke out as she struggled and shouted at them.

Inside the restaurant, one of the officers inspected her handbag and once again asked her to produce identification, but she refused.

When he asked her to stand so he could remove the bag, she bit him on the right shoulder.

She was subsequently arrested.

The officer was found to have teeth marks on his right shoulder and suffered erythema at the site of the bite, as seen in charge sheets.

He sought medical attention in the early hours of the following day and was given two days of medical leave.

Psychiatric evaluation

According to Shin Min, Gao was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health from Feb. 28 to Mar. 27 for psychiatric assessment.

She was diagnosed with schizophrenia, other mental disorders, as well as nitrous oxide use disorder.

The report noted that her mental condition was linked to the offences, though she was not found to be of unsound mind at the time.

At the time of the incident, her social visit pass had already expired on Feb. 11, giving rise to the additional overstaying charge.

Claimed it was self-defence

In court, as reported in Shin Min, Gao argued that officers had pressed her head to the ground during the incident, and that she had acted in self-defence.

The prosecution rebutted this, stating that the incident was captured on an officer's body camera and that the footage contradicted her account.

She also alleged that she was scratched while being handcuffed, a claim the prosecution said was unsupported by any injury records.

When the judge asked if she would like to view the footage, Gao declined and agreed to plead guilty.

In mitigation, Gao said it was her first offence and asked for leniency, expressing her wish to return to China after serving her sentence.

Not the first time she had gone to the restaurant

Speaking to Shin Min, the owner of the restaurant said he was not present during the incident and added that it was the first time something like this happened in the three years since the eatery opened.

A female employee said Gao had dined there on one or two prior occasions.

The employee added that Gao had not consumed alcohol on her previous visits, and that the day of the incident was the first time she had ordered beer.

"Her behaviour was a bit odd. She was on the phone scolding someone, and then suddenly started causing a disturbance. When my colleague sensed something was wrong, she immediately called the police," the employee said.

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