ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – A woman in Singapore was given five weeks in jail for insulting a judge. She also caused a ruckus during a trial in a district court in 2021, and spitting at her arresting officer a year later.
On July 25, she was given an addition eight-week jail sentence over the spitting incident and repeatedly failing to obey orders from the authorities even though she was legally bound to do so.
Tarchandi Tan, 53, who is now serving her earlier sentence, appeared in court via video-link on Friday and pleaded guilty to a harassment charge involving District Judge Eddy Tham. One charge under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act was considered during sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir told the court that Tan subscribes to a theory that she is a sovereign individual over whom the government, including that of Singapore, has no inherent power without her consent.
The Singaporean woman, who used to be known as Lee Hui Yin, had attended the 2021 trial of Briton Benjamin Glynn, who had been caught not wearing a mask in public amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tan was acquainted with Glynn as a fellow member of a community that shared similar views on being a sovereign individual.
She was seated in the gallery with at least 18 other people in the midst of his trial when a security officer told her to put her mask on properly, as it was slightly below her nose.
She became irate and exclaimed: “This is ridiculous kangaroo court… The kangaroo court requires me to wear a mask… I do not respect the judge.”
She also shouted at the security officer and refused to leave the courtroom, but was escorted out around 10 minutes later.
