Ex-Mediacorp producer gets 2 weeks’ jail for slapping, spitting at cops

Zhao Xiaotian was sentenced to two weeks’ jail after admitting to slapping a police officer and spitting at another. Strait Times Photo/Wong Kwai Chow

SINGAPORE–A former Mediacorp producer abused and used criminal force on police officers who had responded to a complaint by a security guard at Tanjong Beach Club in Sentosa a year ago.

Zhao Xiaotian, 26, was on Wednesday (April 20) sentenced to two weeks’ jail after admitting to slapping Sergeant Muhammad Fahmi Osman, 27, at 8.42 pm, and spitting twice at Sgt Muhammad Hafiz Kamsari, 30, as they executed their duties outside the club on April 26 last year.

A district court heard that Zhao had gone to the club at about 1 pm that day to meet her friends. They remained there from afternoon to nighttime, when they consumed alcohol.

At about 8.30 pm, security guard Zainal Abidin Amir Hamzah, 39, heard a commotion at the pool area and found that Zhao had removed her bikini top and was topless in the pool.

He asked her to put her bikini top back on which she did when she came out of the pool.

A short while later, she removed her bikini top again and went back into the pool.

Mr Zainal Abidin saw this and asked for her identity card, but Zhao did not cooperate and started behaving aggressively.

Later, police were called as she remained aggressive.

Sgt Fahmi and Sgt Hafiz arrived and interviewed the people involved.

Zhao was reportedly uncooperative and has become abusive to the two police officers.

When Sgt Fahmi asked to see her identification, she placed her black bikini top on Sgt Fahmi’s shoulder, close to his face.

Warned about her conduct, Zhao slapped Sgt Fahmi on the left side of his face.

She put up a violent struggle and resisted arrest, but was eventually restrained.

When the two officers tried to place her into the backseat of the police car, she continued resisting and shouted at them, hurling vulgarities.

While Sgt Hafiz was trying to restrain her in the backseat of the car, she spat at him twice.

When a female sergeant arrived to provide back-up, Zhao remained hostile and used abusive language towards these officers.

Her blood-alcohol level was found to be 121mg/100ml.

Her lawyer Nakoorsha A.K. said Zhao, who was drunk at the time, was genuinely remorseful and deeply regretted the offense. What she did was out of character, he said.

Pleading for leniency, he said the University of New York graduate worked in Mediacorp from July to September 2012, and from December 2014 to September last year. She also freelanced with Global Executive Network and now works as a sales and marketing associate.

Zhao, who had six other charges taken into consideration, is appealing. Bail of $10,000 was allowed. TVJ