[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – Two British citizens who disobeyed safe distancing measures during the circuit breaker period by meeting others at Robertson Quay were fined on Tuesday (September 22).
Alfred Jon Veloso Waring, 35, and Olagunju Daniel Olalekan Olasunkanmi, 31, appeared in court to face one charge of violating the measures of the circuit breakers each.
Olasunkanmi was fined $ 8,500, while Waring was fined $ 8,000.
Court documents did not indicate whether they are on work passes. Both were represented by Mr. Ramachandran Shiever Subramaniam.
The court heard that on May 16, while circuit breaker measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 were still in place, the two men met near the Limoncello @ Robertson Quay restaurant to “have a chat and a drink.”
Earlier that day, around 3.47 p.m., Olasunkanmi had just finished a hike through the area and greeted a woman who was sitting on the steps near the Rivergate Condo. They chatted until 3.50pm before he went off to buy drinks.
He returned with a plastic bag containing drinks and sat down with it. Another woman who had a child with her was also with them.
At approximately 4.53pm, Waring reached the steps and joined the group.
Both men left the group and returned to buy beer and water at various points for about two hours until 6.45pm when they were approached by ambassadors from a safe distance.
The ambassadors discovered that both the men and other members of the group had their masks lowered or were not wearing them. They also did not maintain a distance of at least one meter from each other.
Seven others were also fined in June for meeting at Robertson Quay on the same day. They are Neil Gordon Buchan, 30; James Titus Beatt, 33 years old; Joseph William Poynter, 35; Perry Scott Blair, 37; Michael Czerny, 45; Jeffrey George Brown, 52 years old; and Bao Nguyen Brown, 40.
Six of them also had their work passes revoked by the Ministry of Manpower and were prohibited from working here again. The ministry did not name them.
Buchan, Beatt, Poynter, and Blair were each fined $ 9,000, while Czerny, Brown, and Bao were each fined $ 8,000.
This group is not linked to the Olasunkanmi and Waring case.
Images of crowds along Robertson Quay circulated on social media in May, showing people failing to maintain a 1 meter distance from each other at the riverside restaurant enclave.
Most of the people in the photo were not wearing masks, while some had their masks pulled down while chatting with each other.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority issued a directive for some restaurants on Robertson Quay on May 17, prohibiting them from selling alcohol to go, as such sales contributed to more people gathering in the area.
A statement from the Ministry of Manpower on June 1 said foreigners holding Singapore work passes must comply with the country’s laws and those convicted of crimes risk having their work passes revoked and face to an employment ban.
Deputy Prosecutors Timotheus Koh and Colin Ng asked for a fine of at least $ 9,000 for each of them, noting that their social interaction with each other was lengthy: about an hour and 51 minutes for Waring and two hours and 45 minutes for Olasunkanmi .
DPP Ng urged the court to give sufficient weight to the fact that the two committed the act “in public view” and “were not intimidated or intimidated” by the fact that their actions would cause alarm to those who adhere to measures. of safe distancing. He added that his actions suggested “that our laws can be blatantly flung out.”
DPP Ng also noted that while the couple stayed in one place, the social interaction occurred over a longer period of time.
Subramaniam requested a fine of $ 7,000 each for the couple. He argued that Waring had no intention of breaking the rules, but the meeting was a “chance meeting” and this is his first contact with the law. Furthermore, he noted that Waring was only present in one location and therefore there was no more risk of spreading the disease to multiple locations.
With respect to Olasunkanmi, Mr. Subramaniam argued that he lives alone and was confined in solitary confinement during the circuit break period. Olasunkanmi also attempted to seek therapy for emotional support during the period.
So when he ran into his friends, “he stayed,” the lawyer said.
District Judge Eddy Tham sentenced Olasunkanmi to 17 days in jail if he cannot pay the fine and Waring to 16 days in prison for non-compliance with the fine.
For disobeying circuit breaker regulations, first-time offenders can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $ 10,000. Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to one year and fined up to $ 20,000.
[ad_2]
