SINGAPORE — Wanting to test the doors of MRT trains, Vanessa Wang Zi Qi tried to pull the doors open to prevent them from closing while onboard moving trains. He did so on numerous occasions over two weeks. 

Wang, 47, who is identified in court documents as a man, pleaded guilty on Friday (Jan 5) to two charges of being a public nuisance and a charge of voluntarily causing hurt.

Another charge of being a public nuisance will be taken into consideration for sentencing on Jan 17, following the completion of a mandatory treatment order suitability report.

Under such an order, eligible offenders will be directed to undergo psychiatric treatment at a psychiatric institution for up to 36 months instead of serving jail time.

A video of Wang dressed in a skirt trying to pull the MRT doors open had gone viral last month.

He had three charges brought against him on Dec 7, before he was given on Dec 29 one more of being a public nuisance. 

PULLING OPEN TRAIN DOORS

The court heard that sometime before 12.49pm on Nov 29 last year, Wang boarded an MRT train on the North-South Line. Court documents did not state at which station he boarded the train.

When it was travelling between Khatib station and Yio Chu Kang station, at about 12.50pm, Wang started to pull at the doors of the train to test if they could be opened.

He succeeded in forcing a gap between the doors.

Commuters on board were alarmed and called out to him to stop, with one of them approaching him and asking him to wait for the next stop.

At Yio Chu Kang station, Wang continued to pull on the doors to prevent them from closing. 

This was when an unknown commuter pressed the emergency button in the train.

The emergency button notification was received by senior station manager Foo Jee Yong, 65, a staff member of train operator SMRT who was stationed at Yio Chu Kang MRT Station.

Together with a few of his colleagues, Mr Foo went to check on the train.

There, commuters informed him that Wang had been pulling on the train doors.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Yvonne Poon said that Mr Foo then asked Wang to follow SMRT staff members out of the train but Wang refused to do so and started to shout at the workers not to touch him.

Mr Foo and his colleagues later deactivated the emergency button and remained on the train with Wang as they travelled towards Ang Mo Kio MRT Station.

While on board the moving train, Wang continued to swing his elbows in a bid to prevent the SMRT staff members from touching him.

Wang also called the police, stating that he was being asked to alight and wanted to meet them at Bishan MRT Station.

Mr Foo tried to talk to Wang but Wang kicked him in the leg multiple times.

When they arrived at Ang Mo Kio station, more SMRT staff members had to board the train to remove Wang by "necessary force" because he was shouting and kicking violently, DPP Poon said.

Wang then laid down on the platform and refused to move as he called the Singapore Civil Defence Force to say that he was injured and required help.

Wang's actions were also filmed by commuters on board and published on social media.

In the course of investigations, Wang revealed that he had, on another occasion, pulled on train doors to prevent them from closing on Nov 27 last year, while on board a train at Braddell MRT Station. 

He claimed that the gap was wide enough for two to three people to walk through it.

Videos of this act were recorded by alarmed commuters and uploaded on social media.

Wang stated that he had been testing train doors along various MRT lines by pulling them open for about two weeks, starting from mid-November to December last year, but he could not remember how many times he had done so in total.

The two public nuisance charges to which he pleaded guilty pertained to the separate incidents at Braddell station on Nov 27 and between Khatib and Yio Chu Kang stations on Nov 29.

The public nuisance charge that will be taken into consideration for sentencing is for a similar offence at Yio Chu Kang station on Dec 1.

HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS

In a report from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) dated Dec 20 last year, Wang was found to have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and bipolar disorder in 2019.

Gender dysphoria refers to emotional stress caused by conflict between the sex that one has at birth and the gender with which one identifies.

He did not go for follow-up sessions and treatment for two years and returned only in January 2021, owing to stress.

It was then that he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder but he did not follow up on treatment again.

Around the time of his offences, Wang was in a hypomanic relapse of his bipolar disorder, which could be characterised by an elevated and irritable mood, increased energy, reduced need for sleep, and excessive involvement in activities that had potential for painful consequences.

Wang is also suffering from a borderline personality disorder. 

Dr Arvind Rajagopalan from IMH, who prepared the report, said that Wang's bipolar disorder had a contributory link to his offences because his hypomanic state would have impaired his judgement and impulse control.

Dr Arvind added that Wang would benefit from continued psychiatric treatment, including medications and psychotherapy, in an outpatient setting.

His compliance to treatment would significantly reduce both his risk of harm to others and of re-offending.

Anyone guilty of voluntarily causing hurt could be jailed for up to three years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.

Anyone guilty of committing a public nuisance could be fined up to S$2,000.