[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: A man claimed trial on Thursday (November 5) on a charge of allowing six other people to enter his apartment during Phase 1 of Singapore’s reopening, when social gatherings were restricted. This is the first trial of its kind.
Malaysian David Elanggo, 25, challenged a charge of violating Regulation 4 (4) of the COVID-19 regulations by allowing six men to enter his apartment in Block 22 of Havelock Road on June 11 this year.
Police Officer Gerald Wong, who came to the scene on the day of the incident, took the prosecution stand and described how his team was notified of the alleged crime.
A woman had sent a message to the police saying that she could see a group of people “fighting” on the floor.
Mr. Wong was patrolling the area and came down with his colleague to see seven to eight men on the playground saying goodbye.
“According to (the) information we got from them, they were gathering at the unit at 22 Havelock Road for a celebration, as one of their friends was having a last day in Singapore, so they were celebrating at that unit,” he said. Mr. Wong.
He said another of his colleagues went to the unit on the first floor and 12 men were found at the meeting.
Another officer who took statements, including one from Elanggo, next testified, saying that Elanggo was calm, cooperative and collected at first.
“For example, when I asked him, ‘Do you know the current COVID safe distancing measures?’, He answered yes and that his company did give talks to him about it,” he said.
According to her, Elanggo also said that she knew it was illegal to have social gatherings during that period.
READ: Three men who hosted a farewell party for their colleagues during Phase 1 of Singapore’s reopening are fined
He allegedly said there was a meeting between him and his colleagues to say goodbye, and said that there were already people on the floor when he arrived.
The third witness, one of Elanggo’s friends and a colleague from the meeting, told the court that they had met when two colleagues were leaving for Malaysia.
He said that he initially didn’t want to go, but later told Elanggo that he had left because “a lot of them had asked me to go.”
He said that Elanggo had just got out of the shower when he arrived at 9pm.
The witness said he was there for more than an hour until the police showed up at 10:30 p.m.
READ: 10 people charged for social gathering at Golden Mile Tower during Phase 1 of Singapore’s reopening
Elanggo, who was not represented, had no cross-examination questions and spoke once to correct his date of birth. The trial continues.
If convicted of violating a COVID-19 regulation, you could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S $ 10,000, or both.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
