Man, 71, pleads guilty to slapping MRT passenger after sexual advances were rejected

SINGAPORE — A 71-year-old man who accosted a 25-year-old American on an MRT train in April last year pleaded guilty on Friday (April 20) to voluntarily causing hurt and harassing the victim with abusive and insulting words.

Gan Thean Soo was tipsy when he asked Mr Joseph Flynn De Marini if he wanted to have sex with him. He then slapped the victim when his advances were rejected.

Another charge of causing annoyance to the public by raising his voice will be taken into consideration during sentencing at a later date.

On April 19 last year at around 8.15pm, Gan boarded the Punggol-bound train on the North-East Line after having some drinks at the Chinatown area. He was seated in the carriage when Mr De Marini and Ms Li Zixin, 20, entered the same carriage at the same station.

Four stops later, Mr De Marini noticed Gan staring at him but decided to ignore him. Then Gan walked towards him and started insinuating that he was gay. He also uttered vulgarities, said he wanted to kiss Mr De Marini, and asked more than once to have sex with him.

At one point, Gan hollered at him not to touch Ms Li or else he would slap him. Later, after an exchange between the two men, where Mr De Marini again told him he was not gay, Gan slapped him on the face.

After hitting Mr De Marini, Gan insisted that the American had “signalled” him.

Two bystanders had stepped in at different points to break up the commotion: Once when Mr De Marini told Gan to leave him alone, and another after Gan slapped Mr De Marini.

Gan had admitted to one of the passengers who moved him aside that he had “drank a lot”.

He later alighted at Serangoon MRT Station, as did Mr De Marini and Ms Li, from separate doors.

A four-minute video of the incident went viral on social media last year after Mr De Marini uploaded the footage on Facebook. He also reported the incident to the police two days later.

Gan is now out on a S$8,000 bail and will be back in court on April 27.

He can be jailed for up to two years and fined S$5,000 for voluntarily causing hurt. For harassing Mr De Marini, he can be jailed up to six months and fined S$5,000.