Man seen without mask on train gets multiple charges; shows up at court unmasked
Benjamin Glynn leaving the State Courts on Jul 2, 2021. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: A man seen in a viral video without a mask was on Friday (Jul 2) given multiple charges in court, where he showed up without wearing a mask.
British national Benjamin Glynn, 39, was given one count each of failing to wear a mask without reasonable excuse, public nuisance and using threatening words towards a public servant.
At the State Courts on Friday, Glynn put on a mask only after court officers spoke to him. He was reminded twice by the judge to wear his mask properly.
"Can I ask you to wear your mask again properly thank you," said District Judge Lorraine Ho. "I do not want to repeat this again."
Glynn submitted a stack of papers to the judge, and claimed he had legal counsel but that the man was not allowed into the court due to improper attire.
He did not indicate in open court whether he was going to plead guilty or claim trial, and the judge gave him a pre-trial conference date for later this month.
He took off his mask again when leaving the court.
Glynn is accused of failing to wear a mask outside his home while he was travelling from Raffles Place MRT station past 11pm on May 7. He also allegedly committed an act of public nuisance by declaring "I will never wear a mask" while on the train.
Two days later, he allegedly told two police officers at the lift lobby of Allsworth Park, a condominium in Holland Road: "I'm gonna f***ing drop you."
In the video circulating on social media, Glynn was seen in exercise wear on an MRT train. He did not have a mask on and was speaking to other commuters about masks.
He told one commuter: "Just wear your mask, it's fine. I will never wear a mask.
"I'm very religious and I love human beings," Glynn said in the video. "And I hate seeing uncles, granddads with the mask on.”
When someone offered him a mask, he reacted with an expletive and said he was not going to put it on.
SMRT later lodged a police report.
READ: Woman seen on video not wearing mask asks AGC to drop charges, claims errors in investigations
If convicted of failing to wear a mask, Glynn can be jailed up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
For the offence of public nuisance, he could be jailed up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.
If guilty of using threatening words towards a public servant in relation to the execution of their duty, he could be jailed up to a year, fined a maximum of S$5,000, or both.
Glynn is the latest in a series of people hauled to court for not wearing a mask.
Phoon Chiu Yoke, a 53-year-old woman who was seen without one at Marina Bay Sands, was given multiple charges in May. She has asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers to drop the charges, citing "serious errors" in the investigation.
Paramjeet Kaur, who caused a commotion at a market during the “circuit breaker” period by refusing to wear a mask and calling herself a “sovereign”, was given jail and a fine in May.
Mohamed Ali Ramly, who was also caught in a viral video without a mask at a minimart, was fined S$4,000 in December.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
