SINGAPORE - A Singaporean woman, whose daughter was caught by enforcement officers for smoking illegally, hurled insults, including racially charged ones, at one of the officers.
Zubaidah Zainal Abidin, 58, was on Monday (Dec 13) fined $3,000 after she pleaded guilty to one charge of using abusive words towards a public servant.
State prosecuting officer A. Majeed Yosuff told the court that Mr Kalidassan Ngappan, a 31-year-old Malaysian, and his enforcement partner spotted Zubaidah's daughter, Nurul Asyiqin Abdul Rahman, smoking at a Housing Board void deck in Bedok Reservoir Road at around 2.50pm on March 6 this year.
The two men from Certis Cisco were attached to the National Environment Agency at the time.
Mr Kalidassan asked for Nurul's identity card (IC) so that he could issue her a summons.
Nurul said she left her IC at home, so the officer told her to ask someone to bring it to her.
SPO Majeed said: "Upon hearing this, the accused became angry and told the (officer) that she and Nurul were having problems and told (him) not to disturb them."
Zubaidah added that there was no one at home to take the IC to the void deck.
Mr Kalidassan said the police would have to be called if Nurul's identity could not be ascertained, so Nurul asked her mother to get her IC.
After Zubaidah returned with the IC, she refused to hand it to Mr Kalidassan and asked why the police were not present.
SPO Majeed said Zubaidah persisted in not handing the IC over and instead called the police herself.
While waiting for the police to arrive, Zubaidah remained hostile and verbally abused Mr Kalidassan in English and Malay.
She also threatened to slap his face.
When police officers arrived, they ascertained Nurul's identity and disclosed it to Mr Kalidassan.
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Later that day, Mr Kalidassan filed a police report against Zubaidah.
In court on Monday, Zubaidah asked for leniency, saying that she was unemployed.
She was ordered to pay $200 of her fine on Monday and the remaining $2,800 by Feb 7 next year.
She could have been fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.
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