Elderly woman on trial for allegedly punching motorist over carpark dispute
Shi Ka Yee, a 72-year-old woman who was embroiled in a dispute with her neighbour over an old raintree, seen arriving in State Courts on June 5. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY
SINGAPORE — A 72-year-old woman who was involved in a civil suit with her neighbour over the pruning of an old raintree was in court on Monday (June 5) for the start of a trial for an unrelated matter.
Shi Ka Yee is accused of punching Mr Raphael Chong Yen Ping, 39, over an incident at Telok Ayer Street on Feb 25, 2014. She also faces six other charges that are unrelated to this incident.
Taking the stand, Mr Chong said he had been waiting for a car park lot that evening when a red Ferrari, driven by Shi, pulled up beside him and started honking at him.
She asked him to move his car — a bronze BMW — but he did not do so, saying there was ample space for her car to pass.
A while later, Shi got out of her car and started to take pictures of their cars, said Mr Chong. He added that Shi ignored a passerby’s help, and walked towards him to throw a punch while he was seated in his car.
The passerby, Mr Stephen Choy, also testified in court on Monday. The executive director of an advertising agency said he thought that Shi did not want to “take the chance” at navigating the road with her expensive car and offered his help.
Mr Choy testified that Shi threw the first punch after Mr Chong told her, “Don’t blame me if you are a lousy driver.” She also attempted to throw a second punch but Mr Chong dodged it, added Mr Choy.
Mr Chong sustained a cut above his right eyebrow in the incident.
Disputing the charge, defence lawyer Irving Choh said his client had slapped, and not punched Mr Chong that day. He added that Shi had done so after Mr Chong hurled vulgarities at her.
During cross-examination, Mr Chong said he could not recall if he had used vulgarities. “I don’t even remember having a decent conversation with her. All she wanted was for me to move my car and she was upset that I didn’t,” he said.
The hearing was adjourned to June 29.
If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt, Shi may be jailed up to two years or fined up to S$5,000 or both.
Of her remaining charges, four took place on Feb 17, 2015, where she allegedly trespassed her neighbour Mr Nasrat Lucas Muzayyin’s home on Astrid Hill and removed an ignition key from a crane. As a result of that, Mr Ankathi Thirupathi, who was there to prune the branches of her raintree jutting over Mr Muzayyin’s property, was trapped in the crane bucket for more than an hour.
On that same day, she allegedly harassed Mr Muzayyin by hurling abusive words and expletives at him. Shortly after, she allegedly revved her car engine and moved it towards him while he was standing in front of the car.
Last July, a High Court judge rejected Shi’s request to appeal against a lower court’s decision to make her pay S$9,800 in damages to Mr Muzayyin and to prune her raintree. Mr Muzayyin and his wife had sued Shi for nuisance, trespass and assault.
The last two charges Shi faces are for allegedly stopping her car between two lanes along Orchard Road on June 29 last year, causing obstruction to other road users.
She allegedly used insulting words on another driver with the intent to harass him during that incident.
