SINGAPORE — A 46-year-old man was fined S$3,800 on Friday (March 25) for harassing a team of auxiliary police officers and safe distancing ambassadors, who had caught him not wearing a face mask at Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre.

Leow Chee Sieng, a Singapore permanent resident from Malaysia, pleaded guilty to one count each of being abusive towards a public servant and causing annoyance in public while drunk.

Another charge of breaching Covid-19 rules by failing to wear a mask was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that Leow worked as a vegetable supplier at the centre, which is Singapore’s main wholesale market and distribution point for imported fruits and vegetables.

On March 19 last year at about 11.30pm, a group of Certis Cisco officers and safe distancing ambassadors were conducting patrols to ensure everyone was wearing a mask when they spotted Leow.

One of the auxiliary police officers approached Leow in a bid to get his National Registration Identity Card details to issue a summons.

Leow, who reeked of alcohol at the time after drinking six to seven cans of alcoholic beverages, ran away.

When the officers caught up with him, he eventually put on a mask but continued arguing with them and turned aggressive. 

He pointed his middle finger multiple times at the group and used an expletive.

During this incident, he also heard one of the safe distancing ambassadors say the word “Shit”.

He responded, “You want me to shit? I will shit”, and pulled down his pants, squatting as if he was going to defecate. The group turned away when he exposed himself to them.

When he said that he wanted to go to the toilet, they did not allow him to do so because he had earlier run away. He then urinated at a nearby tree with his back facing them.

One of the safe distancing ambassadors proceeded to call the police, saying Leow was "non-compliant and very aggressive".

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jonathan Lee sought a fine of between S$3,000 and S$4,000, saying the custodial threshold had not been crossed but that the incident took place while the Covid-19 pandemic was still raging on here.

These were also Leow’s first offences of this nature although he was fined S$2,600 and given a driving ban in 2014 for offences under the Road Traffic Act.

Leow’s lawyer, Mr KS Chia, said in mitigation that his behaviour that day was “really quite uncharacteristic” and that he was facing “very, very stressful circumstances” that day.

The defence counsel acknowledged, though, that this was not a good excuse to drink and behave in that manner. Mr Chia added that apart from Leow’s road traffic offences, he had been a law-abiding citizen since coming to Singapore in 2003.

The lawyer added that his client has conveyed his apologies to the victims through the investigation officers.

For being drunk in public, Leow could have been fined up to S$1,000 or jailed for up to six months, or punished with both.

For using abusive words and behaviour on a public servant, he could have been jailed for up to 12 months or fined up to S$5,000, or both.