SINGAPORE – An elderly man who allegedly threw himself onto an oncoming car in Singapore last week is being treated at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Lianhe Wanbao reported on Sunday (April 17).

According to the Chinese daily, the incident took place last Wednesday (April 13) at the industrial area near Tampines Street 93.

Dashboard camera footage showed the elderly man apparently hurling himself on a car moving in his direction.

The driver of the car subsequently stopped and the man fell to the ground, while a woman rushed to help him. Two other men ran up to the scene of the incident shortly after.

The woman and two men are believed to be relatives of the old man.

Footage of the incident, which happened at 5.52pm, was subsquently shared on Facebook.

The driver, who had heard of incidents in China where conmen threw themselves at cars on purpose, decided to make a police report.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that the elderly man is believed to be mentally ill.

In another incident on April 8 last year, an elderly man also threw himself onto the bonnet of a car along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6.

In this case, the driver saw the man trying to jaywalk across the road, and had slowed down to let him pass.

However, according to Stomp, the old man “suddenly jumped” on the bonnet of the driver’s car as if he had been knocked down. 

Old man hurls himself onto stationary car at Ang Mo Kio

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Stomp

The driver drove away “as he did not want to hold up traffic”, but not before noting that the man looked like he was about to repeat his “stunt” on abother vehicle.

prabukm@sph.com.sg

Singapore state prosecutors on Monday appealed against a high court decision acquitting a woman of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl because the law applied only to men, citing public interest.

Zunika Ahmad, 40, a woman who lives as a man, was acquitted last week of six counts of sexual assault despite pleading guilty to the charges, sparking strong reaction from women’s and gay rights activists.

Judge Kan Ting Chiu said he threw out the guilty plea and acquitted Zunika because the law on which the charges were based relates only to men with a penis.

He jailed Zunika eight months on the lesser charge of having a sexual relationship with a person aged under 16.

Calling the case a matter of public interest, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said the law was intended by parliament to be gender neutral.

“Having reviewed the written grounds of decision, the prosecution has concluded that an appeal is merited against Senior Judge Kan’s finding that section 376A(1)(b) does not apply to female accused persons,” the AGC said in a statement.

It is also appealing Zunika’s eight-month jail sentence.

Zunika, who is biologically female but has lived as a man since youth, pleaded guilty last year to sexually assaulting her young neighbour using a sex toy and her fingers.

The plea was rejected last week by the judge who said the provision, enacted in 2007, specifically covers a person with a penis even if he did not use the organ in the assault.

This meant that the law could only be referring to a male, the judge said.

Singapore classifies gender based on anatomy.