SINGAPORE: A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to a charge of public nuisance. This marks the second time within a short span that the man, Roy Ravi Jaganathan, has faced legal consequences for public nuisance.
The most recent incident occurred on Sept 5, when he entered a coffee shop located at Block 682 Hougang Avenue 8. Witnesses reported that he was wearing a green T-shirt with the Singapore flag draped over his shoulders, resembling a cape. He had also tied the flag around his neck. Ravi donned bermuda shorts over his track pants and placed a blue towel on his head, with a cap over it.
Upon entering the establishment at approximately 8:30am, Ravi began shouting loudly and causing a disturbance among patrons. Eyewitnesses recounted that he moved from table to table, loudly proclaiming himself to be God, and on occasion, he ranted incoherently. He also intentionally lifted his T-shirt to expose his torso to the patrons.
The escalating disturbance prompted a member of the public to contact the authorities, describing a drunk individual who was hurling vulgarities. The police arrived at the scene and found Ravi still shouting aggressively and harassing customers. Despite repeated warnings from the police to cease his unruly behaviour, Ravi continued his disruptive actions and was subsequently arrested.
The court heard that this was not Ravi’s first offence. In July, he had been sentenced to five days in jail for a similar incident involving public nuisance, where he shouted aggressively and gestured with an umbrella at patrons in another Hougang coffee shop.
Individuals found guilty of public nuisance can face fines of up to S$2,000. However, in cases of a second or subsequent conviction, offenders may be subject to imprisonment for up to three months, a fine not exceeding S$2,000, or both.
This incident follows a previous public nuisance case in June, where another man was sentenced to 70 hours of community service and a three-month day reporting order (DRO) after he set a fire near a coffee shop, burning Singapore flags, during National Day 2022.
The 40-year-old offender, who had consumed alcohol excessively, then discarded his shorts in the flames and walked home in the nude. A DRO requires the offender to report to a day reporting centre for monitoring and counselling as an alternative to incarceration.