SINGAPORE June 6 — A 72-year-old architect, who was involved in a civil suit with her neighbour over the pruning of an old raintree, was in court yesterday for the start of a trial for an unrelated matter.

Shi Ka Yee is accused of punching Raphael Chong Yen Ping, 39, over an incident at Telok Ayer Street on February 25, 2014.

She also faces six other charges that are unrelated to this incident.

Taking the stand, Chong said he had been waiting for a car park lot that evening when a red Ferrari, driven by Shi, pulled up beside him and started honking at him.

She asked him to move his car — a bronze BMW — but he did not do so, saying there was ample space for her car to pass.

A while later, Shi got out of her car and started to take pictures of their cars, said Chong.

He added that Shi ignored a passerby’s help, and walked towards him to throw a punch while he was seated in his car.

The passerby, Stephen Choy, also testified in court yesterday.

The executive director of an advertising agency said he thought that Shi did not want to “take the chance” at navigating the road with her expensive car and offered his help.

Choy testified that Shi threw the first punch after Chong told her, “Don’t blame me if you are a lousy driver.”

She also attempted to throw a second punch but Chong dodged it, added Choy.

Chong sustained a cut above his right eyebrow in the incident.

Disputing the charge, defence lawyer Irving Choh said his client had slapped, and not punched Chong that day.

He added that Shi had done so after Chong hurled vulgarities at her.

During cross-examination, Chong said he could not recall if he had used vulgarities.

“I don’t even remember having a decent conversation with her. All she wanted was for me to move my car and she was upset that I didn’t,” he said.

The hearing was adjourned to June 29.

If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt, Shi may be jailed up to two years or fined up to S$5,000 (RM15,414) or both.

Of her remaining charges, four took place on Feb 17, 2015, where she allegedly trespassed her neighbour Nasrat Lucas Muzayyin’s home on Astrid Hill and removed an ignition key from a crane.

As a result of that, Ankathi Thirupathi, who was there to prune the branches of her raintree jutting over Muzayyin’s property, was trapped in the crane bucket for more than an hour.

On that same day, she allegedly harassed Muzayyin by hurling abusive words and expletives at him.

Shortly after, she allegedly revved her car engine and moved it towards him while he was standing in front of the car.

Last July, a High Court judge rejected Shi’s request to appeal against a lower court’s decision to make her pay S$9,800 in damages to Muzayyin and to prune her raintree.

Muzayyin and his wife had sued Shi for nuisance, trespass and assault.

The last two charges Shi faces are for allegedly stopping her car between two lanes along Orchard Road on June 29 last year, causing obstruction to other road users.

She allegedly used insulting words on another driver with the intent to harass him during that incident. — TODAY