Allegedly drunk Canadian man pushed, scratched, and swore at Changi Airport officer

SINGAPORE: A man who made a nuisance of himself at Changi Airport Terminal 1 on Sunday morning (Oct 5) was arrested by the Police. The 28-year-old Canadian man was allegedly drunk and had repeatedly used vulgar language against an Auxiliary Police Officer on duty at the time.

The Police said in a statement that the man was arrested for suspected involvement in a case of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a police officer from carrying out his duty, using abusive words against a public servant, and being drunk, causing nuisance.

They were alerted to the man’s actions at around 9:20 on Sunday morning. After the Canadian national had been told to present his boarding pass and put it on top of his passport, he repeatedly hurled vulgarities at the official who had given him the instructions.

In spite of being warned to stop several times, he ignored these warnings and walked away instead.

Officers from the Airport Police Division then accosted the man, who again swore at them. He then proceeded to shove one of the officers and scratch him, which caused the officer to sustain minor injuries on his arms.

The officer was afterwards given two days of medical leave.

The Canadian national is being charged in court on Tuesday (Oct 7) for the offences of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a police officer from carrying out his duty, using abusive words against a public servant, and being drunk causing nuisance.

A person convicted of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from carrying out his or her duty may be fined, caned, or jailed for up to seven years. However, in exceptional circumstances, imprisonment does not need to be imposed, the Police added.

For the offence of being drunk causing nuisance, a person found guilty could be fined as much as S$1,000 or be jailed for up to six months, or both. Meanwhile, a person convicted of using abusive words against a public servant faces a maximum jail sentence of 12 months, a fine of S$5,000, or both.

“The Police have zero tolerance towards such acts of violence towards police officers or public servants who are carrying out their duties. The Police will not hesitate to take firm actions against those who endanger the safety of our officers,” the statement from the Police’s Public Affairs Department says. /TISG

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