5 days’ jail for woman who shoved 8-year-old girl against wall after child bumped into her

SINGAPORE — Unhappy that a girl had bumped into her along a crowded MRT platform, a woman shoved the eight-year-old against a wall, causing pain to the victim’s head and shoulder.

On May 25, Ho Hui Ling, 44 was sentenced to five days’ jail for performing a rash act against the girl.

Ho and the girl were walking along the platform at Buona Vista MRT station at around 9am on Jan 16, 2025, when the child “slightly bumped” into her.

The child, who was with her mother, continued walking forward.

Displeased, Ho walked towards the victim and forcefully shoved her.

The child, who was then wearing her school attire, cried after she knocked into a wall.

“The accused did not apologise for her actions and muttered words to the effect, ‘She pushed me, so I pushed her’ to (the child’s mother),” Deputy Public Prosecutor Caleb Looi stated in court documents.

The victim did not seek any medical treatment after the incident.

Ho was arrested on June 10, 2025, and charged in court soon after.

DPP Looi had urged the court to sentence Ho to between one and two weeks’ jail, stressing that her offence involved a child.

He added: “Potential offenders must be firmly discouraged from committing offences in the vicinity of MRT trains or stations.

“An unambiguous and robust message must be sent out that dangerous conduct... will not be condoned, and if it does occur, the public must be reassured that the perpetrator will be treated both firmly and promptly.”

He also said that the violence inflicted on the girl was unprovoked, and incidents of bumping into fellow commuters are not unexpected during peak hours at a train station.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.