Ferrari driver admits to blocking traffic in Orchard Road
She stopped car in middle of Orchard Road after dispute with bus driver
Just over four months after she was sentenced to jail for assault, motorist Shi Ka Yee, 73, was back in court, this time for stopping her Ferrari in the middle of Orchard Road, causing a traffic jam.
Yesterday, Shi admitted in a district court that she had stopped her car after a private bus driver sounded his horn as she had been driving at a "very slow speed".
Shi pleaded guilty to obstructing other motorists when she stopped her car in Orchard Road, just after the Claymore Road junction near Orchard Towers, during the evening peak hour on June 29, 2016.
One count of verbally insulting bus driver Wu Xiaokui, 41, will be considered during sentencing.
The court heard that at 5.20pm that day, Mr Wu was driving behind Shi's car in Claymore Road. Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Kok Weng said Shi's car was travelling at a very slow speed even though the traffic was clear and this caused Mr Wu to slow down to about 5kmh. He tapped his horn twice to alert Shi.
She turned left into Orchard Road when her car reached the junction but then suddenly stopped in the middle of the five-lane road, occupying the third and fourth lanes from the right.
The Ferrari blocked Mr Wu's bus, which was unable to complete the turn or move forward. As a result, the bus got stuck across the third, fourth and fifth lanes from the right.
DPP Wong said there was no obstruction in front of Shi and she had no reason to stop her car in the middle of the road.
A long jam started building up, the court heard. Police received a phone call about the dispute at 5.38pm and officers in a patrol car arrived two minutes later.
When police officers asked Shi to move her car, she said she did not want the bus to get away as she wanted to report Mr Wu's behaviour. But she later complied and drove away, DPP Wong said.
Shi has six other charges pending against her from separate incidents.
Now out on bail, Shi is represented by a legal team led by Senior Counsel N. Sreenivasan.
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