Short detention order for cyclist in row with driver

Lawyer jumped onto car bonnet and clung on to it in East Coast road rage incident

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

A female cyclist who jumped onto a car bonnet and clung on to it during a row with a driver in East Coast Road in June 2023 was sentenced to a five-day short detention order (SDO) on Oct 17. Offenders given an SDO are jailed for a short time, but they will not have a criminal record after their release.

Nicolette Tan Shi-en, 33, who was a lawyer at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty in April to a harassment charge involving the driver, Elaine Michele Ow, 49. One count of causing an obstruction along the road was considered during sentencing.

The incident was caught on a video which went viral in June 2023. Stressing that Tan's behaviour cannot be condoned, District Judge Janet Wang said in her judgment on Oct 17: "As a legal professional, the accused (Tan) is well-versed in the traffic rules and regulations. And it was precisely her perception of a traffic violation on Ow's part that accounted for her confrontation with the latter.