Cyclist who clung to car bonnet in row had brain tumour

It may have caused personality changes, impaired judgment, says her lawyer

- Wong Shiying

A cyclist who held onto a car bonnet during a row with a driver on East Coast Road on June 2, 2023, was diagnosed with having a brain tumour shortly after the incident, and the disease likely affected her behaviour, her lawyer said.

Nicolette Tan Shi-en, 32, who was employed as a lawyer at the time, pleaded guilty on April 17 to a charge of causing harassment to the driver, Elaine Michele Ow, 49.

Ow pleaded guilty on Feb 15 to one charge of committing a rash act endangering the safety of Tan. She will be sentenced on May 14.

Tan admitted to stopping her bicycle in front of the car, confronting Ow and opening a car door. A second charge of obstructing traffic will be taken into consideration for Tan's sentencing on May 25.

Tan's lawyer Mr Rajan Sanjiv Kumar, citing a psychiatrist's report, told the court on April 17 that the onset of the tumour in the frontal region of his client's brain had highly likely influenced her behaviour that day.