SINGAPORE — A 48-year-old pet shop manager was fined S$2,000 on Wednesday (June 9) over a scuffle with a safe distancing ambassador, who had spotted him allegedly not wearing a face mask in the store.

He Jun, who at the time worked at Little Pets Kingdom in Yishun Central 1, pleaded guilty to committing affray.

Another charge of using vulgarities at the other man was taken into consideration for sentencing. He was not charged with breaching any Covid-19 laws.

The court heard that on Dec 16 last year, Aloysius Hoe Wei Peng, 40, a safe distancing ambassador under the Housing and Development Board, and a female colleague were carrying out their duties near the pet shop.

Both of them were wearing lanyards with passes that identified their jobs.

Hoe then told his colleague to take a photograph of the pet shop as he had seen He Jun without a mask on in the shop.

When she complied and He Jun saw this, he approached her outside the shop and asked her why she had taken a photo. Hoe then asked him: “What’s wrong?”

Both men began arguing and Hoe kicked He Jun, who retaliated by throwing a stone lion statue from a nearby table at him. The size of the statue was not disclosed in court documents.

They then grabbed each other, fell and continued exchanging punches and kicks, State Prosecuting Officer Lam Peng Choy told the court.

Another man who worked at a shop next door separated them. Hoe then contacted the police, saying: “I am an SDA (safe distancing ambassador). I was doing my job. However, he beat me up. I do not need ambulance.”

Although He Jun suffered a swollen right hand, he did not seek medical attention, while Hoe went to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He had bruises and abrasions.

In mitigation, He Jun told District Judge Christopher Goh that he was “a bankrupt” and asked for a light fine. The judge allowed him to pay S$500 first before forking out the rest in two instalments over the next two months.

For affray, he could have been fined up to S$5,000 or jailed for up to a year, or punished with both.

Hoe has been charged over the incident. His case is pending and he will return to court on June 29.

He also faces charges over an earlier incident on Feb 3 last year, where he allegedly stepped on a man’s spectacles at Waterway Point mall in Punggol and kicked him. This was before he took on the job as a safe distancing agent.