SINGAPORE — A woman who was waiting impatiently to top-up her EZ-Link card at the passenger service centre at Orchard MRT station last year hurled vulgarities at a staff member and assaulted him, a court heard.

Nur Ellyna Abdul Karim, 27, hit the 59-year-old victim twice on the cheek.

When the victim tried to stop Nur Ellyna from leaving, the woman assaulted him further, hitting his forehead and the back of his head. She also attacked two other public transport workers.

At the State Courts last Thursday (21 June), Nur Ellyna was sentenced to five weeks’ jail along with a $3,000 fine. She pleaded guilty to causing hurt, using insulting words and a separate charge of disorderly behaviour.

The assault on the other two staff were considered in sentencing.

She is out on bail pending an appeal against her sentence.

‘Faster faster’

At about 6pm on 16 January last year, SMRT service ambassador Sapiie Katib and an assistant station manager were attending to a passenger to process her train ticket refund at the passenger service centre.

Next in line was Nur Ellyna, who was waiting to top up her EZ-Link card. She grew impatient and started shouting “faster faster” at the SMRT staff to hurry up.

Sapiie told her to wait as the passenger ahead of her was still being served.

But Nur Ellyna replied, “Yah, I cannot wait, you got a problem is it?” She also used vulgarities in Malay, saying “sial” and “konek”, which means “jinx” and “penis”.

She then used her left hand and hit Sapiie’s right cheek twice before trying to leave.

When Sapiie tried to stop her from leaving, she hit him thrice on the forehead and on the back of his head. Nur Ellyna was subsequently detained by passers-by.

Separately, on 9 December last year, policemen arrested Nur Ellyna at about 4am at the void deck of an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 for disorderly behaviour. She was shouting at the top of her voice after a dispute with her then boyfriend and did not calm down despite several warnings. She also put up a violent struggle during arrest.

In written grounds released on Thursday (27 June), District Judge Tan Jen Tse said Nur Ellyna’s attack on a public transport worker warranted a deterrent sentence and a minimum sentence of four weeks’ jail.

Her assault was also aggravated as Sapiie, who was fairly elderly, was repeatedly attacked and Nur Ellyna tried to flee the scene. The offence was also committed during the evening rush hour and would have caused a public disturbance, the judge noted.

In sentencing, the judge took into account that Nur Ellyna has a history of major depression and was in a state of remission at the time of the offence. He also noted that she is six months’ pregnant.

For causing hurt, Nur Ellyna could have been jailed for up to two years and fined $5,000.

She could have been fined up to $5,000 and also jailed for a year for using insulting words on a public service worker.

The maximum punishment for disorderly behaviour is a fine of up to $2,000 along with a jail term of up to six months for a first conviction.

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