Model turned actress Melissa Faith Yeo was fined $5,000 after she was accused of verbally abusing a police operator and an SMRT staff member in two separate incidents. Melissa was charged under the Protection from Harassment Act. The 33-year-old has pleaded guilty to both the charges, with two other charges taken into consideration.
The altercation with the police
In the incident took place on 2 May. Yeo called the 999 hotline at around 6.30 pm. When the police operator Mohamad Faizan Mohamed Rais, sought details about her emergency, Yeo said: "I'm calling with regards to my IO, he's a f*****."
Despite being asked by Mohamad Faizan to calm down and maintain her tone and language, an angry Yeo replied: "Don't tell me to calm down, calm down, calm down so that you can get away with your s***." Before the call got disconnected, Yeo repeatedly insisted on speaking with a superintendent to report about her investigating officer.
An angry Yeo shows middle finger to an SMRT employee
In an other incident which took place on 21 November 2018, Yeo who also works as a property agent, met an assistant station manager Victor Chuang Shi Chang, 63, at Bishan MRT Station. She wanted to know the details pertaining to her previous transactions on her EZ-Link card.
But when she wanted to know more elaborate details about her transactions, Chang directed Yeo to a General Ticketing Machine that provides details of all travels undertaken using the card. Soon after, Yeo came back to the previous station and started scolding Chang, and accused him of providing her with wrong information.
Yeo then asked him to give her a copy of the station's feedback form. Before walking away, Yeo gestured with a middle finger at the staff member and said: "f*** you". The entire sequence was recorded on a closed-circuit television camera.
Defence lawyer apologises on Yeo's behalf
During the trial, Yeo's defence attorney, Gerard Quek, said that Yeo was "assaulted" by her neighbour a day before and wanted to know about the details of the case. "She was assaulted by her neighbour who knows where she lives. She was at that juncture anxious and quite uncomfortable by the fact that at any moment or juncture, the neighbour might show up," he said.
"Her conduct on both occasions were not reflective of her general character. She is sorry for what she had done. She had tendered a written apology early in the proceedings and had elected to plead guilty at the first opportunity," added the defence lawyer.
While levying a fine on the Afterimages actress, State Prosecuting Officer Mohd Nasri Haron said that she could have followed proper procedure and channel if she was not happy with the investigation officer. "There's absolutely no excuse for the abusive language used on the police officer," he said.
In the SMRT case, the SPO said that Yeo's behaviour was totally unacceptable as the SMRT employee was simply helping her out. For her unapologetic behaviour with the public servant, the actress could be sent to jail for up to one year, fined a maximum S$5,000, or both.
