Coronavirus: Singapore teens charged with public nuisance for drinking from bottles, putting them back on supermarket shelf
- The boys, both 17, allegedly drank two bottles of fruit juice at a supermarket then returned them to a refrigerated shelf
- If convicted, they could each be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or be punished with both
Quek Xuan Zhi and Nigel Pang Yew Ming, both 17, each face one charge of committing an act of public nuisance with common intention.
Their charge sheets stated that they allegedly committed the offence on February 6, at the NTUC FairPrice supermarket at the HomeTeamNS clubhouse in Bukit Batok.
If convicted, they could each be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or be punished with both.
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The duo were arrested after a police report was lodged on Feb 8 over a video that showed one of the youths drinking a beverage at a FairPrice supermarket and placing it back on the shelf.
One of the youths had uploaded the video onto his private Instagram account, but the video started making its rounds on social media after an acquaintance recorded a copy and posted it online.
In the video, a young man in a white T-shirt can be seen taking a drink from a refrigerated shelf at the supermarket before taking a swig from it, while another male – who appears to be recording the incident – asked how the drink tasted.
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In a statement on February 10, NTUC FairPrice noted that the creators of the video had made a public apology and shared that they had removed the items from the shelves and paid for them.
Nevertheless, referring to the video as a “prank video”, the supermarket chain pointed out that the matter was regarded “very seriously” as it had caused unnecessary alarm to members of the public, exacerbated by the coronavirus situation.
In a statement on Wednesday, the police said they “will not tolerate any actions that stoke undue public alarm, especially during this period of heightened sensitivity”.
In court on Thursday, Quek’s lawyer Tan Hee Joek asked for a gag order to be imposed on his client’s identity, citing new provisions under the Children and Young Persons Act that were passed in Parliament to protect offenders below age 18 but have not come into force yet.
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“Given the high media attention, (I urge the court to) consider to protect his identity in the meantime since he is only a 17-year-old,” Tan said, adding that his client is likely to plead guilty to the public nuisance charge.
But District Judge Adam Nakhoda rejected the gag order application after Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh stated that there was no legal basis for it.
Pang was not represented by a lawyer on Thursday.
Quek and Pang are set to return to court on May 8. They remain out on S$3,000 bail each.
