Woman jailed for slapping, spitting at cops after swimming topless
Ex-TV producer jailed for using criminal force on cops in Sentosa incident
She swam topless in a Sentosa pool and ignored requests that she put her bikini top back on.
When she became aggressive, the police were called in. And when she was placed under arrest, she hurled vulgarities and spat at the police officers.
Yesterday, Zhao Xiaotian, a 26-year-old Singaporean, was jailed for two weeks on two counts of using criminal force on a public servant in the execution of duty.
Six other charges, including two more of using criminal force and four under the Protection from Harassment Act, were taken into consideration during sentencing.
On April 26 last year, Zhao, who was then a Mediacorp producer, went to Tanjong Beach Club in Sentosa to meet her friends.
ALCOHOL
That Sunday, they consumed alcohol from 1pm till about 8.30pm, when security guard Zainal Abidin Amir Hamzah, 39, heard a commotion at the club's pool and saw Zhao swimming topless.
He told her to put her bikini top back on. She got out of the pool and put it on, but later took it off again.
When Mr Zainal Abidin asked for Zhao's particulars, she started behaving aggressively, prompting him to call the Sentosa rangers for help.
But she continued being aggressive and the police were called in.
Zhao had put on a top by the time two officers, Sergeant Muhammad Fahmi Osman, 27, and Sgt Muhammad Hafiz Kamsari, 30, turned up.
But she was uncooperative and used abusive language on them.
When Sgt Fahmi asked to see her identification card, she placed her black bikini top, which she was holding, on his shoulder and close to his face.
When he warned Zhao about her conduct, she slapped him.
Zhao was then arrested, but she put up a violent struggle.
After she was ushered into the back seat of the police car, she shouted at the officers, used vulgarities on them and spat twice at Sgt Hafiz.
When two more officers arrived to provide backup, she also abused them, spitting at a female sergeant.
Zhao's blood-alcohol level was found to be 121mg per 100ml, about 1½ times the legal limit if she had been driving.
Yesterday, her lawyer, Mr A.K. Nakoorsha, said in mitigation that Zhao was genuinely remorseful and had acted out of character.
He also said she was shocked to wake up in a cell and has stopped drinking alcohol since.
Zhao, a University of New York graduate, left Mediacorp last September and is now a sales and marketing associate at GoGo Green, Mr Nakoorsha said.
Adding that her new employer had hired her despite the ongoing case and had also submitted a testimonial supporting her, he urged the court to place her on probation.
Mr Nakoorsha later said his client would be appealing against the two-week jail sentence.
Zhao was allowed bail of $10,000.
She could have been jailed for up to four years and fined on each charge.
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