Eight charged with assaulting and abusing police officers

Their ages range from 21 to 66, and their offences took place at different places - and over a period stretching from January to October - but all eight people charged in court yesterday had one thing in common: They allegedly vented their ire at police officers by hurling obscenities at them and, in some cases, even assaulting them.

Six of them are men, and two are women. In most of the cases, they are said to have turned on the officers who showed up to investigate offences involving them.

Zhu Hongyan, 35, a Chinese national, had been shouting at the top of his voice near Block 106 in Lorong 1 Toa Payoh at 2am on Jan 28 when some officers arrived at the scene.

He is then said to have kicked Sergeant Muhammad Faris Rosli in the chest before turning on Sergeant Tan Han Rong, who was arresting him.

Zhu is accused of pushing Sgt Tan, uttering vulgarities and kicking him in the jaw.

He also allegedly headbutted Sergeant Marcus Loo Hui Long.

Among those charged yesterday, 33-year-old Cheryl Sng Yu Qin faced the most number of charges - eight.

The Singaporean had been accused of kicking two people - one in the legs and another in the chest - on the evening of May 11 at a flat in Block 200, Toa Payoh North.

ANGER

She is then said to have directed her anger at four police officers who arrived at the scene.

Sng hurled vulgarities at all of them. When an officer was recording a statement from one of the people whom she had allegedly assaulted earlier, Sng tore up the statement.

The other cases followed a similar pattern.

A 66-year-old man, Lee Kun Chuen, who had been using vulgarities in the corridor of a block in Woodlands Crescent on Aug 22, then allegedly shouted obscenities at the officers who showed up to speak to him.

A woman, Amorti, 42, allegedly kicked out at an officer and uttered vulgarities at her colleague at 2.53am on Aug 6 at a void deck in Eunos Crescent.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Muhamad Yahya Yatim, who had escaped from custody on April 12 after being detained for robbery with hurt, is accused of attacking the officers who caught up with him on June 24 near Chai Chee Street.

The others charged yesterday for their verbal or physical attacks on police officers were Jeremy Lee Yi Long, 22, Yu Changhai, 43, and Desmond Choo Choon Piu, also 43.

Most of the eight people charged yesterday will be back in court next month.

On Tuesday, the police said in a statement that they take a serious view of people who obstruct officers from carrying out their duties.

Offenders convicted of assaulting police officers can be jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned for each charge.