Covid-19: Day-reporting order, community service for youth who left home to get tattoo in breach of MC
SINGAPORE — A youth who broke Covid-19 regulations to get a tattoo, even though he had been diagnosed with acute upper respiratory tract infection, was sentenced on Tuesday (Feb 22) to undergo a three-month day-reporting order.
Tan Fu Yu, who is now 21, pleaded guilty in November last year to one charge of contravening the Infectious Diseases (Covid-19 – Stay Orders) Regulations 2020.
Under the sentence imposed on Tuesday, he will also have to perform 50 hours of community service.
WHAT HAPPENED
Tan visited a polyclinic on Dec 8, 2020 to seek treatment for a dry cough and an itchy throat.
A doctor diagnosed him with an acute upper respiratory tract infection and told him to undergo a Covid-19 swab test.
Tan, who was 20 at the time, was also issued with a three-day medical certificate that was valid until Dec 10.
The certificate stated that Tan was required by law to stay at home until his Covid-19 swab test result was found to be negative. The doctor similarly repeated the instructions to him verbally.
Even though Tan acknowledged the instructions, he went home instead of going for his Covid-19 swab test.
The following afternoon, Tan took a private-hire vehicle to a tattoo studio located along Sin Ming Road for an appointment to get a tattoo.
Tan, who was not represented by a lawyer when he first pleaded guilty, did not follow the doctor's instructions to get a Covid-19 test after his consultation on Dec 8.
The prosecution sought a custodial sentence of one to two weeks.
Tan eventually got a Covid-19 test on Sept 19 last year and he tested negative.
‘ACCEPTS FULL RESPONSIBILITY’
On Tuesday, Tan’s defence lawyer, Senior Counsel Murali Pillai of law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, said that his client “accepts full responsibility for his foolish and immature behaviour”.
Mr Pillai, who sought a community-based sentence for Tan, said that this was the youthful offender’s first brush with the law and he has had an otherwise “decent conduct record”.
The lawyer also included a testimonial from Tan’s employer, Quaich Bar, which described Tan as a “hardworking employee” who had been honest with the company about his situation.
In school, he received an Edusave Good Progress Award in 2018 for improvement in academic performance and demonstrating good conduct.
“Without trivialising the gravity of his offence, which was committed as a result of his foolishness and immaturity, we respectfully submit that rehabilitation remains a key consideration for youthful offenders like him,” Mr Pillai said.
For his offence, Tan could have been punished with a fine of up to S$10,000 or a jail term of up to six months, or both.
