Foreigner, S’pore PR first to be fined over 10-person gathering on yacht near Lazarus Island

• Mark Lau San Mao and Amy Grace Ropner were each fined S$3,000
• Videos of them partying with eight others on a yacht on Dec 26, 2020 circulated on social media
• They were the first among the 10 to be convicted

SINGAPORE — A couple who partied with eight others on a yacht near Lazarus Island on Boxing Day last year breached Covid-19 laws and were fined S$3,000 each on Monday (March 1).

Singapore permanent resident Mark Lau San Mao, 30, and Briton Amy Grace Ropner, 28, pleaded guilty to exceeding the maximum group size allowed.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, which reviews the permanent residence status of those convicted of an offence, said on Tuesday it would shorten the validity of Lau's re-entry permit on his next renewal. 

A valid re-entry permit is needed whenever Singapore permanent residents wish to travel out of the city-state. It enables them to retain their permanent residence status while away from Singapore.

At the time of the duo's crimes on Dec 26 last year, the country was in the second phase of its reopening, with a five-person cap on gatherings to curb the potential spread of the coronavirus. 

From Dec 28 last year, Singapore allowed gatherings of up to eight people as part of the third and final phase of its reopening.

Members of the public had taken videos of the yacht party, which circulated on social media.

Lau, a Hong Kong citizen, and Ropner are in a relationship and live together. They were the first among the 10 accused persons to be convicted over the case. 

The others, all Britons, have also been charged and their cases are pending.

They were working and living in Singapore then, but court documents did not state their occupations or whether their work passes will be revoked.

Lawyer Terence Tan from law firm Robertson Chambers LLC is representing all 10 accused persons. 

WHAT HAPPENED

The court heard on Monday that another woman, Amy Georgina Hunt, contacted booking agent Marine Bookings in October last year to charter a yacht for the group. Marine Bookings later sent her a booking confirmation for Dec 26 last year, from 11am to 5pm.

That day, the group met two crew members on the pleasure craft Advant at the marina at Sentosa Cove.

The yacht master gave them a pre-departure briefing, telling them to stay in two groups of five in front and at the back of the craft, not to mingle, and to wear a mask when not eating or drinking.

During the gathering, the groups intermingled, ate and drank, and went into the water intermittently. 

They did not wear a face mask at times, and the yacht master observed that some were drunk. Sometime in the afternoon, members of the public saw them dancing and partying on the yacht.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in January that the Advant, owned and operated by boat charter firm Beyond Luxury, would have its licence suspended for 30 days. 

‘THOROUGHLY APOLOGETIC’

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Stephanie Koh sought the fines imposed, noting that Lau and Ropner freely mingled with others and that it was a “purely social event”.

“They were aware of the regulation, yet they disregarded the law… The breach was blatant, with no attempt to stick to two groups.” 

Referring to a similar case, in which 12 people were fined for gathering on Lazarus Island on Aug 2 last year, DPP Koh argued that Lau and Ropner should receive the same fines. 

Mr Tan, their lawyer, said that they were “thoroughly apologetic, remorseful and contrite for letting their guard down”.

Mr Tan took the court through some phone text messages between Hunt and Marine Bookings, showing that Hunt initially wanted to charter a yacht for five people. 

The booking agent later said the Advant was permitted to hold up to 10 guests after submitting a safe-management proposal to the authorities.

When Marine Bookings asked Hunt to specify the bookings for the two groups of five, Hunt replied that she had booked for five persons and Lau had made a reservation for five others. Hunt and Lau also checked if the Advant had the relevant permit.

Even so, Mr Tan said his clients acknowledged there was intermingling and breaches of safe-distancing rules.

Before sentencing Lau and Ropner, District Judge Brenda Tan noted that the duo pleaded guilty at an early stage and were remorseful, but she also took into account the duration and circumstances of the offence.

For breaching the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, they could have been jailed up to six months or fined up to S$10,000, or both.

Subsequent offences carry a jail term of up to a year or a maximum fine of S$20,000, or both.