Five days’ short detention order for cyclist who clung to car bonnet in road rage case

SINGAPORE: A female cyclist who clung onto a car bonnet during a row with a driver in East Coast Road in June 2023 was sentenced to a five-day short detention order (SDO) on Thursday (Oct 17).

Offenders given an SDO are jailed for a short time, but they will not have a criminal record after their release.

Nicolette Tan Shi-en, 33, who was a lawyer at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty in April to a harassment charge involving the driver, Elaine Michele Ow, 49.

One count of causing an obstruction along the road was considered during sentencing.

The incident was caught on a video which went viral in June 2023.

Stressing that Tan’s behaviour cannot be condoned, District Judge Janet Wang said in her judgment on Oct 17: “As a legal professional, the accused (Tan) is well-versed in the traffic rules and regulations. And it was precisely her perception of a traffic violation on Ow’s part that accounted for her confrontation with the latter.

“The accused chose to remain in front of Ow’s vehicle to prevent her from fleeing the scene. It was a misplaced sense of vigilantism that went awry… The accused and Ow had exhibited anti-social and disruptive behaviour on a public road. Both women conducted themselves dismally.”

Ow, a cooking instructor, pleaded guilty in February to one charge of committing a rash act to endanger the personal safety of others. She will be sentenced at a later date.

In earlier proceedings, the court heard that Tan had been diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly after the incident. The tumour, which has since been removed, was benign.

Defence lawyer Sanjiv Rajan from Allen & Gledhill told the court in April that the onset of the tumour in the frontal region of Tan’s brain had highly likely influenced her behaviour on the day of the offence.

But in her judgment, Judge Wang noted that based on a doctor’s report, there was no causal or contributory connection between Tan’s mental condition, the brain tumour and the commission of the offence.

She added: “Coupled with the fact that the accused was gainfully employed as a lawyer at the material time, I am not persuaded that the presence of the brain tumour had impaired her cognitive function and judgment in her personal capacity.”

On the day of the incident on July 2, 2023, Ow was on her way to i12 Katong mall at around 3.10pm to teach a class when she overtook Tan, who was cycling, at the bend of Still Road to East Coast Road.

Tan felt Ow’s car was too close to her and said: “Excuse me, watch it!”

Tan caught up with Ow at a red light junction at East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road and confronted her. Tan then stood in front of Ow’s car.

In video footage from the car camera that was shown in court, Tan can be heard asking why Ow had overtaken her on the bend.

Ow apologised to Tan, saying that she was late for her class, and asked Tan why she was acting so aggressively.

Ow tried a few times to reverse her car and disengage, but Tan blocked her attempts by moving closer to the car.

Ow then tried to go left around Tan but came into contact with her bicycle. The pair got into another verbal exchange before Ow got out of her car to carry Tan’s bicycle to the side of the road.

When Ow tried to drive off, Tan jumped onto the bonnet of the car, holding on to the windscreen wiper.

As Ow drove for about 100m at a speed of around 20kmh, Tan pounded on the windscreen, screaming for Ow to stop. Ow stopped the car when she reached the entrance of the shopping mall.