SINGAPORE: A 57-year-old man from the United Kingdom was scheduled to be charged in court on Monday (March 17), the Singapore Police Force said in a statement. The man is said to have yelled at a female airline staff member as well as destroyed a wall panel at an airport aerobridge on March 8.
He faces charges for allegedly using abusive words against the staff member and mischief causing destruction to property at Changi Airport Terminal 3.
The incident occurred after the man had already boarded his flight from Singapore to London. When he realised that he had misplaced his mobile phone at the airport, he got off the plane and spoke to the staff member at the gate hold room in Changi Terminal 3 to ask for help in finding the phone at the airport lounge.
The staff member then checked with the airport lounge staff and told the man that there was no mobile phone at the lounge. By then, since it was already close to the scheduled departure time of the man’s flight to London, the female airline staff told the man that if he left the gate hold room, he would be offloaded from the flight.
This angered the man, who allegedly responded with abusive and derogatory words. Additionally, as the man walked to the plane, he kicked and damaged a wall panel at the aerobridge. Officers from the Airport Police Division, who had been alerted to the incident, arrived and the man was offloaded from the flight.
According to a media release from the SPF, the man will be charged with the following offences:
- Using abusive words against a person under Section 3(2) of the Protection from Harassment Act 2014, which carries a fine not exceeding $5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both; and
- Committing mischief causing destruction to property under Section 426 of the Penal Code 1871, which carries an imprisonment term that may extend to two years, or a fine, or both.
“Any form of harassment or abusive behaviour towards airport and airline staff is not tolerated as it disrupts airport operations and jeopardises the safety of the staff and their ability to perform their duties effectively. The police take a serious view of such acts and will not hesitate to take action against those who do so,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police M. Malathi, Commander of Airport Police Division.
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