Firearms are serious business in Singapore, which has one of the toughest gun control laws in the world. The death penalty is slapped on anyone convicted to use arms to commit crimes — regardless of intention to harm others or not.
Fortunately for 38-year-old Chinese national Han Jing, she didn’t get the death penalty. Instead, she was sentenced to 11 months in jail for attempting to snatch a policeman’s loaded revolver from its holster back in Jan 22 last year. Since she was not able to be caned (the female gender is exempted from caning), she got an additional 12 weeks’ jail, Channel NewsAsia reports.
In the wee hours of Jan 22, Han had crashed a Mini Cooper into a signpost at Soo Chow Garden Road, and fled the scene soon after. Police officers were able to find her later after getting a description of Han from a passer-by.
Though she followed the officers back to the scene, she refused to wait and tried to leave. When officers stopped her, she grabbed the butt of one of their loaded revolver and tried to pull it out of its holster.
The cop had to pry her fingers off the gun during the ensuing struggle, and Han only let go when another officer forcefully pulled her away. Obviously, she was arrested on the spot.
In court, it was revealed that Han absconded and failed to attend court — at least until she was arrested again in September last year for throwing killer litter from her unit at Espada condominium. It was pretty serious too; she threw down two flower pots, a table and a clothes rack from the balcony of her 30th-storey unit. A shattered flower pot injured another resident at the condo.
An assessment at the Institute of Mental Health didn’t find any mental issues. A drug test turned out negative.
For the offence of attempting to possess an offensive weapon, Han could have been sentenced to one and a half years’ in jail and at least six strokes of the cane.
runcoco says
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