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SINGAPORE: Twelve people were charged in court on Friday (October 2) with violating safe distancing measures during a day on Lazaro Island in August.
The five women and seven men were each charged with violating a COVID-19 regulation by participating in a social gathering with more than four other people who were not from their home.
They supposedly went to the island between 11 a.m. M. And 6 p.m. M. On August 8 and violated the current bans on social gatherings.
The defendants are: British citizens Jeff Richard Alexander, 31; Zoe Louise Cronk, 30 years old; Joshua Adam Roth, 31; Lowri Mair Jeffs, 31 years old; Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull, 32 years old; William Edwin Dunford, 32 years old; James Riby Oram Trimming, 30 years old; Richard Henri Lagesse, 31 years old; Helen Ann Sullivan, 30, and Paul Jonathon Gold, 32; Vietnamese citizen Luong Thi Thu Ha, 31, and Singaporean Natalie Joanna Sarkies, 29.
They were charged in pairs on Friday and all were represented, with three attorneys coming forward to defend several defendants.
Gold’s attorney said his client wanted to plead guilty and that a date was set for him to do so later this month.
Luong’s lawyer objected to the bail requested by the prosecutor, saying his client has been a permanent resident for 11 years and has roots in Singapore.
The attorney for the remaining defendants tried unsuccessfully to ask that their clients not be bailed out, but the prosecutor said they had previously been granted bail for a similar subpoena case, where people were charged for meetings in Robertson Quay.
The judge ruled that personal bonds of S $ 2,000 would be offered to each defendant.
The Singapore Land Authority, which brought the charges, said in an earlier statement that the government “takes a serious opinion against the violation of safe distancing measures.”
Those convicted of violating a COVID-19 regulation can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S $ 10,000, or both. Penalties can be doubled for repeat offenders.
Social gatherings of up to five people are allowed in Phase 2 of Singapore’s reopening, which began on June 19.
People must keep a safe distance of at least 1m at all times. When not feasible or practical, the 1 meter requirement may be applied instead between groups of no more than five people.
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