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Man who shouted 'corona, corona' at Crowne Plaza hotel jailed

Jasvinder Singh, 52, will also serve an additional 55 days in jail for breaching his remission order when he committed the offences on 3 March. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Jasvinder Singh, 52, will also serve an additional 55 days in jail for breaching his remission order when he committed the offences on 3 March. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — A 52-year-old Singaporean man who shouted “corona, corona” inside a restaurant at Changi Airport’s Crowne Plaza Hotel was jailed two months on Thursday (2 April).

At the State Courts, Jasvinder Singh pleaded guilty to two charges; one for committing a rash act that endangered the personal safety of others by smashing a plate inside the Azur restaurant, and the other for intentionally causing public annoyance with his words and by spitting on the floor of the hotel lobby.

He will also serve an additional 55 days in jail for breaching his remission order when he committed the offences on 3 March. Singh, who has a history of past crimes dating back to 2014, was jailed seven months and one week in January for offences under the Protection from Harassment Act and for using language that hurt religious feelings.

Commotion at buffet line

According to court documents, Singh visited the Azur restaurant at around 10.30am on 3 March. Without informing any of the staff, he walked up to the restaurant’s buffet line, took a plate and began helping himself to the food.

When a waitress informed Singh that the restaurant was closed, he smashed his plate on the floor, close to where the waitress was standing. He then walked closer to the waitress, causing her to step backwards, and muttered, “Why other guests can eat, and I cannot?”

Singh, whose actions had left the waitress feeling threatened, then spat on the floor and left the restaurant.

Upon hearing the commotion, another staff member of the restaurant then informed the hotel’s manager about what had happened. The manager found Singh at the arrival hall of Terminal 3 and guided him back to the hotel’s lobby.

While the manager was on the phone with the hotel’s security staff, Singh began walking towards the restaurant while claiming that he wanted to break more plates. The hotel manager blocked Singh’s path and diverted him to a sofa, where Singh proceeded to sit with both hands behind his head and his feet on a nearby table.

Singh also spat on the floor and shouted “corona, corona” while in the hotel lobby. The documents also noted that hotel staff members and tourists were also present at the time.

The prosecution asked for a two-month jail term with and additional 55 days’ jail – starting from 4 March – in the light of Singh’s breach of his remission order.

Those convicted of intentionally causing public annoyance face fines of up to $2,000. Repeat offenders, like Singh, face a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. Those convicted of committing a rash act that endangers the safety of others face a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.

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