SINGAPORE — A repeat offender was jailed 20 weeks on Wednesday (Oct 14) for various crimes including shouting religiously charged comments at a security guard in Suntec City mall.

Jasvinder Singh Mehar Singh, 52, pleaded guilty to three charges of wounding religious feelings, committing a rash act endangering the personal safety of others, and harassing police officers.

In January, he was sentenced to two weeks’ jail for yelling out religiously charged phrases in a restaurant and at a police officer. 

In April, he was jailed two months for smashing a plate on the ground at the Crowne Plaza Hotel restaurant in Changi Airport, spitting on the ground of the hotel lobby and shouting “corona, corona” — referring to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

The sentence was backdated and he re-offended shortly after being released.

He was examined by a forensic psychiatrist after his latest arrest and was assessed to have an alcohol use disorder and an antisocial personality disorder. 

Even then, he was found to be of sound mind and capable of making his defence.

WHAT HAPPENED

The court heard that on June 28, Jasvinder went to Suntec City at 11am after drinking at least 20 cans of beer.

A 31-year-old security officer found Singh at Tower One of the shopping centre after being alerted to a disturbance there. 

Singh told the security officer that he had found a pair of boxer shorts and suspected that there could have been a possible rape. 

The officer, who noticed that Singh was reeking strongly of alcohol, asked him to leave. 

Instead of leaving, Singh asked the security officer if he is a Muslim, to which the victim replied "yes". 

He then started making racist comments laced with vulgarities against the victim.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Matthew Choo told the court that Singh was then escorted to a taxi stand and left in a taxi. Court documents did not state where he went.

However, he returned in the same taxi shortly afterwards and threw a glass bottle out of the window while the taxi driver was making a turn. 

The bottle landed on a pavement. The security officer then called the police for help.

Singh made his way to a restaurant and two police officers who arrived on the scene spoke to him there. 

He was drinking a pint of beer while they questioned him and he continued making abusive and racist comments loudly, DPP Choo said.

When they told Singh that they were arresting him, he gestured and shouted: “I will wake up every day and kill you, okay?” He also spat on the ground in the presence of at least four officers.

His actions were captured on their body-worn cameras.

In sentencing Singh, District Judge Tan Jen Tse told him: “When you get out, I hope you can stay out of prison for more than a day.”