A 36-year-old Singaporean woman, Shalini Devarajan, has been sentenced to two weeks’ jail after she slapped a 73-year-old taxi driver over an unpaid S$24 fare.
The incident happened on Nov 11, 2025, at about 3 pm. The elderly cabby had picked up a male passenger who then instructed him to drive to Block 260, Yishun Street 22. Shalini boarded the taxi alone, and the driver later noticed that she smelled strongly of alcohol. She eventually fell asleep during the ride, and he drove her to the stated destination.
When they reached the block’s shelter area, the driver woke her and informed her that the fare was S$24. Shalini said she did not have cash or any cashless payment method. She made a phone call and then said she needed to go up to her unit to get the money.
The taxi driver asked her to leave her phone behind before going upstairs, but she refused. He also suggested following her up to the unit, and she rejected that, too. Instead, Shalini challenged him to take her to a police station.
On the way to the Yishun Neighbourhood Police Centre, she scolded the driver and took photographs of him and his vehicle. The court heard that the cabby remained silent and did not respond to her remarks during the journey.
When they arrived outside the gantry of the police centre at about 4.20 pm, both exited the vehicle. Shalini then slapped the driver once on his left cheek, causing him pain. The victim later sought medical treatment and was given one day of medical leave. The taxi fare was never paid, and Shalini was arrested the same day.
In court, the prosecution said the victim had stayed professional and non-responsive to her provocations, and described the assault as “completely unprovoked”. The prosecutor also said the victim was carrying out his duties and belonged to a vulnerable group that deserved enhanced protection through deterrent sentencing.
The prosecution sought compensation of about S$172 for the victim’s medical bills. However, Shalini said she had no money at all. She had earlier been granted an adjournment to make payment, but when asked about it, she told the judge she had tried to contact a friend for help but could not reach her.
In mitigation, Shalini said she did not realise she had a S$50 note in her pocket at the time she was told about the fare. She also said she had no family support and that the friend she relied on was uncontactable. Although she had previously said she would start a new part-time job, she later told the court that she “couldn’t also because there’s so many things going on with me”.
The judge declined to order compensation after hearing that she had no funds. For voluntarily causing hurt, she could have faced up to three years in jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
