A 72-year-old woman is on trial for allegedly arguing with and assaulting another driver along Telok Ayer Street at 5pm on Feb 25, 2014. On that fateful day, architect Shi Ka Yee honked and shouted at BMW driver Raphael Chong Yen Ping before she emerged from her red Ferrari and reached through the window to punch the 39-year-old in the face for refusing to move his vehicle to make way for hers.
On Monday (June 5), the first day of Shi’s trial, Chong took the stand to point out that there had been plenty of room for her to pass through. Currently in between jobs, the man had suffered a cut above his right eyebrow as a result of Shi’s assault.
Apparently, he was waiting for a parking space on the one-way street when Shi approached. He mentioned that while he was there for 10 minutes, other cars had managed to drive by. But when Shi came by, she got upset and shouted “verbal diarrhoea” at him, before getting out of her car to take pictures of him. She ended up bringing traffic to a standstill, as the other vehicles behind them could not pass.
Another driver had told Shi that there was enough space for her car, and he would guide her if she wanted. But she turned him down. That was when Shi punched Chong on the right side of his forehead, causing a cut with the rings on her fingers. But Shi’s lawyer claimed she did not punch Chong, saying “it was only a slap”. After she sped off, Chong called the cops.
The trial will continue on June 29. If convicted of causing hurt, Shi could be jailed for up to two years and/or fined $5,000.
Other than causing hurt, Shi has six more unrelated charges brought against her — those will be handled at a later date — including harassing her neighbor and trespassing on his property, and stopping her car in the middle of Orchard Road, obstructing traffic just to confront a driver to tell him to “return to China”.
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