S’pore woman, 25, allegedly lets teen, 17, drive rented car, later joins 5 others in beating him up at cemetery

A 25-year-old woman in Singapore is on trial for allegedly allowing a 17-year-old boy to drive a car she rented, which he later crashed into a motorcycle.

She then allegedly joined five others in assaulting him at a cemetery, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The woman, Crystel Chong, faces a total of seven charges, including rioting and permitting an unlicensed minor to drive.

She is contesting the charges.

The prosecution is proceeding with the rioting charge for trial, while the rest have been set aside for the time being.

The teenager cannot be named due to a gag order protecting his identity.

The allegations

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, Chong allegedly let the 17-year-old drive on a service road at a carpark at Block 64 Toa Payoh Lorong 5.

This took place at around 12:50am on Nov. 13, 2024.

She is also accused of joining five others at Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery between 11:28pm on Nov. 25, 2024 and 1:29am the next day to kick and punch the teenager.

She was allegedly armed with a taser.

On a separate occasion on Nov. 16, 2024, Chong allegedly allowed another 16-year-old minor to drive a car along North Buona Vista Drive towards Biopolis Drive.

Teenager's mother testified in court

The trial began on Nov. 3, with the prosecution calling the teenager's mother to testify, Shin Min reported.

The woman said that on the day of the incident, she received a call from her daughter telling her that something had happened to her son and that three people had come to their doorstep.

Upon rushing home, the teenager's mother and father met Chong and two others outside the lift.

The mother said the group had told them they needed to find her son urgently, claiming he had knocked over a motorcycle while driving and injured a rider.

Chong said the car was rented in her name and that about S$8,400 in compensation was needed, and hoped the parents could first come up with S$2,400.

The mother said her husband subsequently gave them S$1,000.

The mother said that on Nov. 27, 2024, she received a call from her son asking to borrow S$1,000. She said she faintly heard someone beside him say “S$2,000”, and could tell he was extremely frightened. She refused, and he hung up.

The next day, he came home with injuries on his face, and she took him to file a police report.

During cross-examination, the mother agreed that Chong was not rough nor aggressive with her.

She said Chong told her she did not want the mother to pay for her son's mistake, and that she only wanted her to understand the situation she was in.

She said Chong contacted her again the next day, saying she was under pressure from the rider and the car rental company.

The mother said she told Chong she would pawn jewellery to raise cash, but did not go ahead with it after relatives and friends urged her against it.

Chong allegedly kneed the teenager in the face

According to Shin Min, a female who was among the five others at the cemetery with Chong testified as a prosecution witness that she saw Chong strike the teenager’s face with her knee.

She was 17 at the time, and her boyfriend was friends with Chong's boyfriend.

She said that on the evening of Nov. 25, 2024, the couple received a call from Chong's boyfriend asking them to meet in Yishun.

They later met Chong, her boyfriend and two other males at a basketball court.

The group then found the teenager, brought him to the stairwell of a nearby HDB block, and later to the cemetery.

The witness said the four males took turns punching and kicking him, and two used tasers on him.

After Chong's boyfriend asked the teenager for money, Chong stepped forward and struck his face with her knee, she said.

The teenager was told to call his mother and then friends to borrow money, but could not get any.

The witness claimed she stayed at the side to use her phone and chatted with Chong during the incident.

Chong's boyfriend later took the teenager home, as he did not want others to see the injuries on his face.

The witness also alleged that earlier at the stairwell, two of the male accomplices had punched the teenager and one of them had also used a taser on him.

The group moved from the stairwell after noticing someone in the opposite block apparently watching them, she said.

She initially testified that Chong was the one who noticed this and suggested moving to the cemetery.

Under cross-examination, however, she changed her statement and said she could not remember who had noticed, as the incident happened two years ago.