A 29-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to five weeks and five days in jail and fined 600 Singapore dollars (US$438) on Wednesday for verbally abusing nurses and police officers as well as working as a hostess without a valid work permit.
Appearing via video link, Han Feizi confessed to five charges, including using criminal force and causing alarm for security guards at her condominium, employing abusive language towards a hospital employee, creating public nuisance, and providing false information in her work permit application.
Three additional charges were taken into account during sentencing.
Han reportedly apologized in court for her actions and for comments she made on social media, and explained that she shouted in the hospital because she felt helpless and wanted someone to assist her.
She also mentioned that three of her relatives had cancer, with one in the terminal stage, saying she came to Singapore to work and support her family financially.
During the sentencing, the judge strongly criticized her behavior as "loutish," "belligerent," and aggressive, emphasizing that there was no justification for her actions.
Ti Gong
Selfies posted by Han Feizi on social media.
Insulting security guards and nurses
Around 9pm on October 3, Han, who was intoxicated, returned to her home at The Sail at Marina Bay, Marina Boulevard.
Two security guards saw her squatting in a public area and offered assistance.
However, Han shoved one of the security guards and used offensive language multiple times while waiting for and riding the elevator.
Additionally, at about 2:25am on October 10, Han, still intoxicated, sought treatment at the Singapore General Hospital's emergency department, claiming that a taxi had crushed her foot.
Medical staff advised her to wear a mask, but she not only refused but also insulted them.
When police arrived, she refused to cooperate with the investigation, withheld her identification, and used her mobile phone to record the investigating officer.
Han later uploaded the video to Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), in which she claimed to have waited for three hours without seeing a doctor, admitted to using offensive language towards a nurse, and suggested that the nurse discriminated against her because she wasn't Singaporean and, in her view, ineligible for medical care in the island state.
On October 11, Han was arrested, and on the same day, the police suspected that she may have violated Singapore's Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Ti Gong
A screenshot of the Singapore General Hospital incident that Han uploaded to Douyin.
Working Without a Permit
According to court documents, when she applied for a work permit on August 11, Han falsely claimed to be employed as a clerk at KDL Elements and concealed the fact that her earlier application for a student pass had been rejected.
Between August 1 and October 11, Han worked as a hostess at various locations in Singapore, without a valid work permit.