• Nguyen Thi Thai Ha asked to be taken near the Balestier outlet of the Boon Tong Kee chicken rice chain
• Mr Kho Dar Feng dropped them off in the vicinity and she got upset
• She used her clutch bag to hit his face before throwing soil and debris at his taxi

SINGAPORE — A Vietnamese was sentenced to two weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Nov 18) for assaulting a taxi driver, who was upset with her and her fellow passengers for being rowdy.

Nguyen Thi Thai Ha, who worked as a model in Singapore, pleaded guilty to one charge each of causing hurt to Mr Kho Dar Feng and committing mischief by throwing soil and debris at his taxi.

A third mischief charge was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The 33-year-old is currently on a special pass here. Her work permit expired around the time she was charged in court, her lawyer James Ow Yong said.

The court heard that Mr Kho, 60, picked up Nguyen and three other women from a Clarke Quay taxi stand in the wee hours of Dec 5 last year.

Nguyen sat in the front passenger seat and told the taxi driver to head to 568 Balestier Road, close to an outlet of the popular Boon Tong Kee chicken rice chain.

On the way there, the four women began to sing loudly and make hand movements. They smelled strongly of alcohol and were believed to be drunk, Deputy Public Prosecutor Joseph Gwee told the court.

When Mr Kho told them not to make so much noise, Nguyen grew unhappy.

They got to the Boon Tong Kee outlet and Nguyen’s friends got out of the taxi after paying the fare.

However, she refused to leave as she believed Mr Kho had taken them to the wrong destination. She insisted that he take her to 568 Balestier Road and he replied that he would drive her to the police station if she did not leave.

While getting out of the vehicle, she kicked the door, causing its bottom to scrape the road kerb.

Both of them then began arguing and she used her clutch bag to hit the driver once in his face. She also hit the taxi meter in the vehicle, causing it to be dislodged.

After she walked away and crossed the road, Mr Kho made a U-turn and drove past her. She then picked up some soil and debris from the ground and threw it at his car.

He stopped upon feeling the impact and decided to call the police for help.

The soil and debris caused damage of S$250 to the taxi’s paintwork. Mr Kho repaired it at a workshop and Nguyen has made restitution for the costs.

‘NO BIG OR HARD OBJECTS’ IN BAG

In mitigation, her lawyer Mr Ow Yong said that Mr Kho not only refused to take Nguyen to the correct destination but also threatened to report the matter to the police.

Mr Ow Yong added: “We note that the Boon Tong Kee restaurant was approximately 700m away from 568 Balestier Road and would have taken the accused, a woman in heels, at least nine minutes and considerable effort to walk the distance.

“In contrast, it would have taken the victim minimal effort to drive 700m up a straight road. In this regard, the accused was reasonable in her expectation for the victim to drive her to the specified destination.”

Nguyen’s clutch bag merely contained a few makeup products at the time, with no “big or hard objects”, the lawyer said.

She has not been employed since January and has been unable to return to Vietnam due to the criminal proceedings.

For voluntarily causing hurt, she could have been jailed for up to two years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.

For committing mischief, she could have been jailed for up to a year or fined, or both.