Woman kicked cop in groin after harassing people at Sembawang coffee shop

Samuel Devaraj
The Straits Times
Aug 8, 2022

A woman who was arrested for causing a ruckus and harassing customers at a coffee shop later kicked a policeman in the groin, causing him to suffer a bruise.

Boldbaatar Odonchimeg, a 35-year-old Mongolian, was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail and fined $3,000 on Monday (Aug 8) after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant and another charge under the Protection from Harassment Act.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Chia said in court documents that a worker at a Sembawang Road coffee shop told the police at about 8.45pm on Dec 6 last year that a woman was harassing its customers.

When police officers arrived, Boldbaatar was in a drunken state and behaving in a rowdy manner.

After managing to get her to leave the coffee shop, the officers handcuffed her when she continued to behave aggressively towards passers-by.

Senior Staff Sergeant Dhanaletchmi Kuppusamy and her colleague, Corporal Muhammad Islam Angullia Yussoff, later arrived to take Boldbaatar to the regional lock-up at Woodlands Division Police Headquarters.

During the journey, Boldbaatar struggled and behaved aggressively towards the two officers. When they arrived at the police complex, she initially refused to exit the vehicle.

After she was eventually taken to the Covid-19 testing area, Boldbaatar started sobbing uncontrollably and refused to sign a consent form. No test was conducted on her.

She continued to resist and shout, and when Senior Staff Sgt Dhana and another officer tried to make her sit, Boldbaatar directed vulgarities at her.

After Boldbaatar was taken to the lock-up premises, Senior Staff Sgt Dhana released one of her hands so it could be handcuffed to a metal bar attached to a wall.

When Boldbaatar kept resisting, Cpl Islam and other officers went to restrain her, but she kicked Cpl Islam in the groin. Despite the pain, he continued to help restrain Boldbaatar, who was eventually placed in a wheelchair.

Cpl Islam sought medical treatment at a hospital and was given two days of medical leave.

Speaking via a translator on Monday, Boldbaatar said she had become depressed after being away from her family since the start of the pandemic. She said she regretted her actions and has sought counselling help.

She also indicated her intention to appeal against the sentence.

Court papers did not indicate her occupation or say why she was in Singapore.

For voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, she could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined or both.

For harassment, she could have been fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to 12 months or both.