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SINGAPORE – A cleaner was jailed and another fined on Wednesday (May 13) for throwing vulgarities at public servants in separate incidents during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two convicts are Singaporean.
Christopher Amurutham, 56, who appeared in court via video link, was sentenced to 11 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of using criminal force against a public servant. He also pleaded guilty to a crime under Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) and two counts of harassment.
Deputy Prosecutor Joshua Lim told the court that Christopher was unable to wear a mask when he left his home around 6.15 a.m. on April 18. Their location was not disclosed in court documents.
He sipped some Chinese wine and boarded several buses before finally reaching a stop near the Toa Payoh swimming complex.
Around 12.25 p.m., a safe distancing ambassador (SDA) saw him sitting on a bench near Block 20, Lorong 7 Toa Payoh.
The SDA advised Christopher to return home, but the offender refused to comply. Instead, he drank some whiskey before verbally abusing SDA and his partner.
Two police officers, Sgt. Heidi Ow Hui Shi, 22, and Special Agent Maccolm Leong Sgt. Chen Rong, 19, arrived on the scene around 1 p.m., but Christopher was found to be inconsistent.
The cleaner then threw vulgarities at the officers. He also grabbed Sergeant Ow’s left hand and jerked it away, knocking it off balance.
An off-duty traffic police officer intervened and helped his colleagues arrest Christopher.
The cleaner appeared to be drunk and reeked of alcohol when he appeared in court on April 22.
He was supposed to communicate through an interpreter via video call and he got agitated when there were some technical issues.
Christopher then threw vulgarities at Special Police Corporal Muhamad Zulkarnaen Muhamad Zaini, 22, a police officer assigned to state courts.
He also made an obscene hand gesture at the policeman twice before he was dispatched that day.
In the other case, Abdul Halim Adi, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of harassment and was fined $ 3,500 on Wednesday.
The court heard that a 32-year-old remote security officer deployed to the Hougang Mall around 1:00 p.m. on April 14 when he saw Abdul Halim’s wife hanging around outside the building. Investigations revealed that the woman, who was not named in court documents, was in the business of selling headscarves and was waiting outside the mall to deliver one to a customer.
The court heard that she was doing business outside of her home and was not an essential service provider. It was not said whether measures will be taken against her.
The wife walked away when she saw the officer approaching her, but he saw her again inside the mall about 15 minutes later and told her to go home.
Later, the woman met Abdul Halim and told her husband that the officer had been following her.
Unhappy, the cleaner threw vulgarities at the officer when he saw the young man pass.
For each charge of harassment, an offender can be jailed for up to one year and fined up to $ 5,000.
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