More jail time for Australian who attacked cops at Changi Airport

SINGAPORE — The Australian man convicted of assaulting police officers at Changi Airport and other offences was given a longer jail term by the High Court yesterday.

Jason Peter Darragh, 44, whose earliest release from prison was to be this Friday, will now serve two more months behind bars after a successful appeal by prosecutors against his original sentence of six months and two weeks in jail. He has been serving time since May 13.

In his oral judgment, Justice See Kee Oon said that police officers are the “most visible” among law-enforcement officers and are often called upon “to deal with all manner of risky, unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations”.

“When offences of such a nature are committed against police officers, there is a strong public interest in ensuring that a clear deterrent message is sent through the sentence of the court,” he added.

Darragh had earlier pleaded guilty to one count each of using criminal force, voluntarily causing hurt, using vulgar language on policemen and causing annoyance while drunk in public. Another seven charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The first two offences were committed on April 20 at the departure hall of the airport’s Terminal 2, when he was transiting here on the way to the Philippines to visit his girlfriend.

Court documents stated that two police officers approached him after 12.15am, and he pushed a police inspector several times and slapped the other officer’s face. The tussle was recorded by a member of the public and the video was widely circulated on social media.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Tan Wen Hsien had argued yesterday that the specific sentences imposed on the two charges, where Darragh caused hurt and used criminal force on policemen, were “manifestly inadequate”.

Among other things, she noted that the district judge had failed to give due weight to the aggravating factors of the case, such as how the offences took place at Changi Airport, a place with heavy human traffic and heightened security. The district judge had also “grossly under-appreciated the degree of harm” Darragh caused, which was an “affront to the authority of the police and to the police as an institution generally”, DPP Tan added.

Justice See said that while there was some potential threat to public safety, he noted that the area where the offences took place was fairly spacious and not very crowded at the relevant time.

However, as the stand-off with the police was prolonged, “there was evident potential for public disquiet and unease”. He agreed that Darragh’s taunts and verbal abuse also showed his complete contempt and disregard for their authority. SIAU MING EN