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SINGAPORE: A cleaner was fined S $ 3,500 on Wednesday (May 13) for cursing a distance security officer who was deployed to the Hougang Mall.
The incident occurred after the officer told the cleaner’s wife, who was loitering outside the mall, to go home. He was outside the Hougang Mall selling headscarves and waiting for a customer when they told him to leave.
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Her husband Abdul Halim Adi, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of using abusive words on a distancing security officer.
The incident occurred at approximately 1 p.m. from April 14 this year, during the “circuit breaker” period, when most companies were ordered to close and people were urged to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The victim, a 32-year-old HDB officer deployed as a distancing security officer, was doing his job when he saw Abdul Halim’s wife outside the Hougang Mall.
He was hoping to deliver a scarf to a client and was doing business outside of his home when he was not an essential service provider, Deputy Prosecutor Gail Wong said.
The officer walked towards the woman, but she left when she saw him.
The officer entered the mall and saw the woman about 15 minutes later. He told her to go home, and she said she would.
However, the woman went to look for her husband, who was in the basement of the shopping center near a supermarket.
She told Abdul Halim that the safe distancing officer had been following her and told her to go home.
At this point, the officer passed by the couple. Abdul Halim saw the officer and his pass, knowing that he was applying safe distancing measures.
Disgusted by the victim’s instructions to his wife, Abdul Halim threw Hokkien vulgarities at him and said “why did you harass my wife”.
The victim did not confront the couple, but turned away and called the police immediately.
There were about 10 to 15 passersby at the time, and some stopped to watch.
The prosecutor requested a fine of at least S $ 3,500, noting that task-enforcement officers charged with performing “jobs difficult to patrol and safeguard public health in the COVID-19 switch period” must be protected.
“That said, while general deterrence is the beginning of the operative sentence, the outbreak here was brief and impulsive, and the crowd was sparse, even if it was unjustified,” said Ms. Wong.
He added that Abdul Halim had no previous related convictions, and that there was no evidence that he continued to be aggressive.
The judge allowed Abdul Halim to pay his fine in installments in mid-November.
For using abusive words on a safe distancing officer performing his duty, he could have been jailed for up to a year, fined up to $ 5,000, or both.
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