Singapore woman charged over spitting water at commuters on MRT train
A Singaporean woman was charged with public nuisance after allegedly spitting water at commuters on an MRT train, an incident that went viral online. The court ordered her to undergo psychiatric observation at the Institute of Mental Health.
- A 37-year-old Singaporean woman has been charged with public nuisance after allegedly spitting water at commuters on an MRT train.
- The incident, which occurred at Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
- The court ordered her to undergo two weeks of psychiatric observation at the Institute of Mental Health.
SINGAPORE: A 37-year-old Singaporean woman was charged on 28 January 2026 after allegedly spitting water at commuters on a train at Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, an incident that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
According to state media CNA, Sabrina Han Meizhen was handed one count of public nuisance, stemming from her alleged actions on the morning of 16 January 2026. The prosecution said the incident occurred at about 8am while she was travelling on a train.
According to the charge, Han is accused of spitting water at a person named Ng Siew Hiang and of spitting water in the direction of members of the public while on the train. Her actions allegedly caused annoyance to both the victim and nearby commuters.
The case drew public attention after a video showing the incident began circulating online.
In the clip, Han is seen standing near the train doors holding a plastic bottle of water.
She appears to take water into her mouth before spitting it out repeatedly towards nearby passengers. The train floor is visibly soaked, and commuters can be seen quietly moving away to avoid being splashed.
Despite passengers distancing themselves, the video shows Han continuing to spit water in the same area.
The situation escalated when another commuter, dressed in a purple top, confronted Han. The woman stepped forward angrily and attempted to seize the bottle from Han’s hand.
In the video, she can be heard shouting: “What’s wrong with you? Nobody is offending you, right? This isn’t the first time you’ve done this.” A brief tussle followed between the two women.
The confrontation ended when the woman in purple successfully took the bottle away. After this, Han was seen calmly picking up her bag and returning to her position near the train doors.
She appeared to behave as though nothing had happened, standing quietly as the train journey continued.
Han was remanded after the incident and appeared in court via video link on 28 January. She was wearing a shirt similar to the one seen in the viral video and had a mask covering her face.
During the court proceedings, the prosecution applied for Han to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric observation. The application was made to assess her mental condition.
The judge granted the request and ordered that Han be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks. The court said the situation would be reviewed after the observation period.
Han nodded when asked if she understood the order. She then asked the judge whether she could be released on bail.
“Not for the time being,” the judge replied. “After the two weeks we will review the situation.”
Han responded: “Oh, two weeks. I would like to say that I am remorseful and I will control my anxiety attack and not do it again.”
The court did not grant bail at this stage, citing the need for psychiatric assessment before further decisions could be made.
Under Singapore law, a person convicted of public nuisance can be fined up to S$2,000. The offence applies when an act causes common injury, danger, or annoyance to the public.
If the offender knew the act would probably cause annoyance, or if the offender is a repeat offender, the punishment may be more severe.
In such cases, the offender can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.
