I was trying to protect my daughter: Quan Yi Feng

Local television host Quan Yi Feng was sentenced to 15 months' probation on Thursday but the 37-year-old said her actions were an attempt to protect her daughter.

At a press conference after District Judge Low Wee Ping granted her probation this morning, she said in Chinese: "I have thought long and hard about what to say to the media and my fans. I am really sorry about what has happened. However, I hope everyone can understand that while my behaviour might have fallen foul of the law, but in actuality, I was doing my best to protect my daughter, who was injured, insulted and frightened."
The Taiwan-born Quan was involved in an altercation with Mr Chan Swee Kong, a taxi driver, last June.
She was charged with damaging a taxi meter, removing the receipt printer of the taxi and spilling water on it. Two other charges of kicking the right passenger door of the taxi and pushing and attempting to kick the 52 year old cabbie were also taken into consideration.
On June 26 last year, Quan, her daughter and her personal assistant hailed Mr Chan's cab off Upper East Coast Road. When Quan asked Mr Chan to help load her luggage into the cab, he refused, citing an old injury he did not want to aggravate. Quan then criticised him for poor service.
Shortly after the journey started from Quan's home towards the airport, Mr Chan slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision. This threw Quan and her daughter forward. Quan and Mr Chan then got out of the taxi and started arguing, resulting in Quan committing mischief.
Quan, who was accompanied by her lawyer Subhas Anandan and great aunt Dr Mary Chen Ming Li at the press con said: "I hope everyone learns some lessons from my case. The mistake that I have made this time, I admit that I could have dealt with it better. But because I am a single mother, I was over protective of my child. So having been provoked, I acted in a wrong way. In the past 16 months, no one really knew the real version of the story. I always felt that there was no point explaining all by myself, but I understand how the law has casts a bad light on me in the public eye."
Her lawyer, Subhas Anandan, said that the sentence was a fair one and praised the courts for being compassionate.
He said: "Like the judge said, for a person of her age and position, it is very difficult to get probation. But she is given probation not because of who she is, she is given probation because the facts of the case justifies it, together with her medical background. In fact, the courts are ready to be flexible when it is necessary to show compassion and I think this charge has been very good in that."
Quan suffered from post-natal depression after the birth of her daughter in 1999 and has received treatment for severe depression, sleep problems and anxiety since 2007. She will continue her treatment during her probation period.
District Judge Low Wee Ping noted these circumstances but said they did not condone her actions. The judged warned Quan that any breach in probation conditions could see her return to court for sentencing of her offence as well as any new offence.
The conditions of Quan's probation include not travelling overseas without the permission of her probation officer and to report in within 24 hours of her return. She also has to attend psychiatric treatment and psychological counselling for anger management issues.
Quan, who is a single mother, said that the drawn out court case and media attention has taken a toll on her and her daughter but it has also brought them closer.
She said: "Towards this whole episode, she was mostly optimistic. After this case, I think the both of us have become stronger, closer and brave. Because if you never had a crisis, you would never know that a single mother would get hurt easily. Only after people have laughed at us, do we become stronger. My daughter feels that, yes, even if she had hurt herself in the incident, even if someone laughed at her for not having her father around, but she told me that she has the world's best mother. This to me, is the most heart warming thing she has ever said to me. "