Woman, 60, pleads guilty to repeatedly kicking volunteer outside Waterloo Street temple

A 60-year-old woman pleaded guilty to repeatedly kicking a volunteer outside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple in Bugis after she was confronted with video evidence in court.

Shin Min Daily News reported that Lin Meizhi (transliterated) was sentenced on Jul. 15, 2026, to a three-month Day Reporting Order.

Day Reporting Order

A Day Reporting Order is a community-based sentence in Singapore that lets offenders undergo rehabilitation while living at home.

This means she must comply with several conditions, including wearing an electronic tracking device, staying indoors from 10pm to 6am, and reporting to the day reporting officer at designated times.

She must also undergo counselling.

Lin faced five charges, including the use of criminal force, causing intentional hurt, as well as violating the Protection from Harassment Act.

She pleaded guilty to one charge.

The remaining charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Kicked, shouted

At about 10am on Jan. 29, 2025, Lin had reportedly been collecting donations outside the Waterloo Street temple.

Other volunteers from different temples were also collecting donations nearby.

Lin was angered as one of the volunteers was standing in front of her, so she kicked the other person several times.

The video played in court showed Lin appearing agitated and repeatedly shouting at the other person.

She yelled: "Don't block my way, you're blocking other people!"

Lin then moved her wheelchair closer to the individual and kicked the volunteer's leg again.

She was also accused of splashing water on another person in public and verbally abusing others in a hospital, Shin Min reported.

Though she initially pleaded not guilty and repeatedly emphasised that she "did not kick anyone" and "only kicked the fabric of their pants", she changed her plea after watching the video of her actions.

Make sure you cooperate: Judge

When delivering Lin's sentence, the judge told Lin: "I don't want to see you in court again. Do your best to comply with all the rules, make sure you cooperate with the probation officer's requests, and don't cause trouble for the probation officer."

Speaking to Shin Min, Lin expressed her gratitude given the judge's leniency and promised she would do her best to cooperate with the probation officer.

Memories of late husband

Noting that her actions were committed in a moment of haste, Lin said she would continue to visit the temple, though she has been advised to do so less frequently.

"My late husband used to bring our grandchild to meet me at the temple and have lunch," she said.

"To me, the temple still holds good memories that we shared."

She added that she still wanted to visit the temple often, as it makes her feel as if her late husband is still around.