SINGAPORE — A 15-week jail term was yesterday handed down to an Indian national implicated in the Dec 8 Little India riot. Chinnappa Vijayaragunatha Poopathi is the first of the 25 accused to be sentenced.

By sending Chinnappa, 32, to jail for failing to disperse from the area despite orders from riot police, Deputy Chief District Judge Jennifer Marie noted that an abiding respect for the law and enforcement officers was imperative for the effective maintenance of law and order.

“The courts must send a strong signal in sentencing; unruly and defiant conduct will simply not be tolerated and punishment for such conduct will be certain and unrelenting. The accused and potential offenders should have no illusions as to what consequences would flow should they knowingly choose to ignore the lawful orders of the police,” said the judge.

Chinnappa was initially charged with rioting, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ jail and caning. But his charge was later amended to failing to disperse — following consideration of the extent of his involvement in the riot. Failing to disperse is punishable by up to two years’ jail and a fine.

It is believed to be the first time a person has been charged with such an offence.

Chinnappa and a friend had gone to a canteen located at the junction of Kerbau Road and Chander Road — near where the riot broke out — that day. And despite being commanded to disperse by Police Tactical Unit troops from the Special Operations Command, the pair joined an assembly of about 10 people there, and even demanded the canteen’s employees reopen the shop so that they could buy things.

In calling for a four- to six-month imprisonment, prosecutors said their acts further heightened tensions.

Yesterday, while the judge noted Chinnappa’s defiance and brazenness, she pointed out factors she considered in coming to a proportionate sentence.

Judge Marie said Chinnappa was not in the immediate vicinity of where the riot first erupted and that he was not involved in any egregious acts of violence or damage to any property. He also did not impede emergency rescue operations or assistance being rendered to those injured, she added.

Defence lawyer Sunil Sudheesan told reporters outside court that the sentence was fair.

“He feels remorse for what he has done. I don’t think he knew the extent of what was going on at that point of time, because he wasn’t at the Race Course Road area.”

The Dec 8 riot was the first in Singapore in more than four decades. It involved 400 foreign nationals and left 43 enforcement officers injured. Twenty-four emergency vehicles were also damaged, including five that were set on fire.

Chinnappa’s sentence was backdated to Dec 8, when he was arrested. He will be repatriated after his release. KIMBERLY SPYKERMAN

Correction (3.45 pm, Feb 11): The headline “Little India rioter gets 15 weeks in jail” (Feb 10) is incorrect. The Indian national was charged with continuing to be in an assembly after it had been ordered to disperse, not rioting. We apologise for the error.