Woman who shouted 'kangaroo court' at Benjamin Glynn trial charged with using insulting words, disorderly behaviour in court

SINGAPORE — A 52-year-old woman was charged on Friday (Nov 11) for allegedly using insulting words towards a public servant and behaving disorderly in a courtroom during a trial in August 2021.

Lee Hui Yin, who appeared in court via video link, is accused of disorderly behaviour while she was attending the trial of Benjamin Glynn, a 40-year-old Briton who broke Covid-19 regulations by not wearing a mask on an MRT train and outside the State Courts.

Lee, who has a history of mental illness, ranted incoherently at times and had to be reminded to remain silent until asked to speak.

When asked to state her position on the charges, she said: "The police cannot charge me. There is no crime... I am a living, breathing woman, not a straw man," while adding, "I do not understand, I do not consent."

District Judge Lim Wen Juin and Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Chong Kee En took this to mean that she intends to contest the charges.

Lee, a Singaporean, also claimed that the police used excessive force when they arrested her — allegations that the DPP swiftly dismissed.

Glynn was deported to the United Kingdom in last August and not allowed to enter Singapore after being jailed for six weeks on four charges of failing to wear a mask without reasonable excuse, being a public nuisance and using threatening words towards a public servant.

Lee was seated in the public gallery at the State Courts during the trial when she was told to leave the courtroom to adjust her mask, which was askew.

She refused and was heard saying that her mask was broken and that she was a “living, breathing person” and could not be told what to do.

She then shouted at District Judge Eddy Tham that she did not respect him and that he was presiding over a “ridiculous kangaroo court”, a term that refers to an unofficial court where people are found guilty of offences especially without sound evidence.

When a court officer told her to calm down and persuaded her gently to leave the courtroom, she refused and was heard saying: “This is not about (wearing a) mask. This is about control... (If the mask) is mandatory, you need my consent. Don’t provoke me.”  

Lee is also being investigated for offences of failing to obey public servants as well as offences involving the use of criminal force against police officers, said the police in a release on Friday.

A warrant for Lee’s arrest had been issued after she failed to turn up in court on Sept 15 to be charged.

On Friday, Lee claimed that the police had "trespassed" her home to arrest her. 

"They pressed on my chest... I have an injury here, on both arms, both my legs," she said as she gestured to different parts of her body, with her mask worn askew below her nose.

DPP Chong dismissed her claims. "For the record, the police did not use excessive force. Ms Lee resisted arrest, then spat at police officers so necessary force had to be used."

When asked for her position on the charges, Lee — who appeared to be staggering and swaying throughout the hearing — delivered a rambling tirade that echoed Glynn's previous claims of being a "sovereign" citizen immune to the country's laws.

She then apologised for being angry, before adding: "All these vaccinations and masks, do you know what (they) are injecting in my body?"

On Lee's history of mental illness, District Judge Lim, who reviewed a medical report dated August last year, said there was no basis to admit her to the Institute of Mental Health because the report assessed her condition to be stable and not in relapse of schizophrenia.

She was offered bail of S$10,000.

Those convicted of using insulting words towards a public servant can be jailed up to two years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

If found guilty of this offence, Lee is liable for enhanced punishment under the Protection from Harassment Act as she was previously convicted and sentenced in April 2014 to a mandatory treatment order for committing a similar offence, the police added.

Those convicted of disorderly behaviour can be jailed up to six months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.