7 fined for gathering to drink, chat at Robertson Quay during circuit breaker

• They had socialised in two separate groups on May 16

• The first group of four men, who had done a pub crawl, were fined S$9,000 each 

• The second group of three were fined S$8,000 each

SINGAPORE — Seven people pleaded guilty on Thursday (June 25) to socialising in groups at Robertson Quay bars and restaurants last month, when circuit breaker measures were in force, and were fined S$8,000 or S$9,000 each.

The six men and a woman, all foreigners, had gathered in two separate groups for drinks at the Rosso Vino restaurant and Tap @ Robertson Quay on May 16.

Photographs of crowds outside food-and-beverage outlets in the area had gone viral soon after and sparked public furore, with many commenting on the lack of enforcement there.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority then issued directions to about 10 restaurants at Robertson Quay to immediately stop selling takeaway alcohol.

The seven were charged on June 2.

Another two British men were charged two weeks later with meeting other individuals to chat and drink around Limoncello Restaurant along Robertson Quay, also on May 16. Their cases are still pending.

On Thursday, the seven individuals pleaded guilty to one charge each under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, which limits social and business activities in order to curb the spread of Covid-19.

They could have been fined up to S$10,000, jailed up to six months, or both.

THE FIRST GATHERING

The first group — all British citizens — were fined S$9,000 each. They comprised:

• Neil Gordon Buchan, 30

• Perry Scott Blair, 37

• James Titus Beatt, 33

• Poynter Joseph William, 35

The court heard that Beatt arrived at Robertson Quay that evening at about 6pm after a run, then went to the Bar Bar Black Sheep bar. There, he ran into the other three men.

They got beers and decided to walk along the Singapore River towards Clarke Quay. 

They bought more beer at the Boomarang bar, and Blair left for a short while to get cigarettes.

The other three men ended up at Rosso Vino, and Blair caught up with them again a minute later. 

They bought more drinks and chatted for about 25 minutes there, while Blair smoked.

All of them pulled down or removed their masks during the gathering. Video footage of the incident was played in court, showing high foot traffic in the area.

A photograph of them was shared on Facebook, which eventually went viral online.

THE SECOND GATHERING

Those in the second group were fined S$8,000 each. They comprised:

• Bao Nguyen Brown, 40, United States citizen

• Brown Jeffrey George, 52, US citizen

• Michael Czerny, 45, Austrian

Both Browns, who are husband and wife, decided to get drinks at Tap @ Robertson Quay after exercising that evening.

The bar was having a promotion at the time — customers who bought three pints of beer would get an additional pint on the house. The Browns were then served four pints in takeaway cups.

They left the bar and began drinking at an empty table located nearby. They then ran into Czerny, who was walking his dog, and he accepted a pint that they offered to him.

The trio stood at the table and chatted for about half an hour while their face masks were pulled down to their chin. 

BRAZENLY DRANK IN GROUPS IN PUBLIC: JUDGE

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Timotheus Koh sought at least one week’s jail each for those in the first group, describing the nature of their breach as “audacious”.

He said that they had engaged in a “pub crawl”, having visited three establishments to get alcohol, then lingered for half an hour at Rosso Vino with their masks down in full view of others.

They had stood near a “very busy pathway” and encountered many people, DPP Koh added.

“Their actions in public give the impression that our laws can be belittled with impunity. There was absolutely no necessity or urgency for their meeting. There were no safe distancing measures. They were fully aware of the prohibitions but chose to break the law anyway.”

Singaporeans had had to adjust to not being able to dine at food-and-beverage outlets but the four men’s actions showed that they did not think the restrictions applied to them, the prosecutor argued.

Mr Shashi Nathan, who represented Buchan and Beatt, asked for fines up to the maximum of S$10,000 to be imposed instead.

Mr Nathan argued that it was unfair to characterise his clients as having blatantly disregarded Singapore’s laws, saying it was “clearly an error in judgment”.

The lawyer pointed to the “tremendous social media commentary” over the case and told the court that his clients had faced online abuse. 

He also noted that similar cases before the courts, mostly involving Singaporeans, had resulted in fines, such as that of Francis Soh, who flaunted a gathering and meal at his cousin-in-law’s house on social media.

Mr Nathan added that his clients also feared being asked to leave Singapore, which has become their home. Buchan lives here with his wife.

Mr Christopher Bridges, who represented Blair and Poynter, said the incident was “totally out of character”.

As for the second group, DPP Koh had sought fines of S$9,000 each.

The trio’s lawyer, Mr Mirza Namazie, told the court that the Browns have been “completely traumatised” by the case. 

Their son has faced comments in school and his teachers have called to ask when they are leaving Singapore, said Mr Mirza.

The trio had stayed in one place and practised some social distancing, not realising the gravity of the situation, the lawyer added.

He has also previously said that Czerny is a Singapore permanent resident and has two children here.

During sentencing, Senior District Judge Bala Reddy said that both groups had “flagrantly breached” laws for “the most unnecessary and frivolous purpose of drinking and chatting”. 

Nevertheless, he did not think a custodial sentence was warranted for either group. Their culpability was not significantly higher than Soh’s, he noted.

“They were brazenly drinking in groups while out in public, when the circuit breaker prohibited gatherings of those not living in the same household. 

“While their conduct was certainly deplorable, this has to be balanced against the fact that it did not last beyond an hour and was contained within Robertson Quay. They were all first-time offenders and pleaded guilty at an early stage,” the judge added.