A now-infamous incident went viral earlier this year where an employee at a Cheers convenience store (who has since been fired), filmed himself arguing with three police officers at Lau Pa Sat.

29-year-old Jonathan Ong Jun Jie, was subsequently charged in court on 18 October for using insulting words towards a police officer, publishing the identity of a police officer and not showing up for police interviews, according to Channel NewsAsia and Shin Min Daily News.

Ong is not intending to plead guilty and will represent himself in court.

The Infamous Incident

On the 1st of January, at approximately 8:10 PM, a customer and an employee at a Cheers store located along Raffles Quay got involved in a heated dispute after Ong had insulted the customer. The incident escalated to the point where the police were called in to mediate.

Upon their arrival, the police officers found Ong to be reluctant to provide his personal information and even challenged them.

He then took out his mobile phone to record the police officers during the questioning, before uploading 6 videos from the incident onto social media that identified the officers.

Ong also used demeaning terms in his captions to describe the police officers.

Following that, he was told by the police to come down to the police station for an interview, but Ong failed to show up.

The police then sent him two written orders to attend police interviews on 11 and 31 January but Ong still failed to show up on both dates.

Fired by FairPrice

In response to the incident, FairPrice, the parent company of Cheers, took decisive action. On the 4th of January, they announced the termination of the employee’s contract. This action was taken following a thorough investigation.

“All staff, regardless of whether they are employed by franchisees, are required to comply with the authorities. We do not tolerate acts from staff who seek to undermine the authority of the police,” FairPrice declared.

Potential penalties

A pre-trial conference for his case has been set for 17 November 2023.

If convicted of using insulting words to harass others, Ong faces a fine of up to $5,000 and/or a jail term of up to 6 months.

If convicted of insulting a public servant, he faces a fine of up to $5,000 and/or a jail term of up to 12 months.

If convicted of publishing the identity of a public servant to deter them from discharging their lawful duties, he faces a fine of up to $5,000 and/or a jail term of up to 12 months.

If convicted of failing to attend a police interview, he faces a fine of up to $1,500 and/or a jail term of up to 1 month.

30-year-old George Lim Zi Chun, was sentenced to 6 months and 16 weeks imprisonment on Monday (16 October) for threatening his mother and attacking his father, as well as attacking a Vietnamese woman whom he had booked to spend time with him, according to The Straits Times.

Attacked a Vietbu

George Lim Zi Chun’s legal troubles began with a disturbing incident involving a 22-year-old Vietnamese woman.

On the night of 10 February 2021, George Lim was looking for companions to drink with him on a Telegram group chat, and paid a middleman $300 to book a 22-year-old Vietnamese woman to provide him with company.

He met up with the Vietnamese woman at the Arton Hotel, Tyrwhitt Road, at about 3am and spent time inside his hotel room, where he offered her alcohol but she declined his offer.

Lim then took it that the woman was “aloof and disinterested” and got angry, before slapping the woman on the face, pulling her hair and punching her as she tried to leave the room.

He also put his hands around her neck and tore off a strap from her dress, and the commotion caught the attention of a front office executive of the hotel who then proceeded to call the police for help.

Lim found out that the police had been alerted and said that he was going to go out for a smoke, before fleeing from the hotel.

He then turned himself in to the police the following day, before being released on bail.

Attacked his father

On 12 October 2021, Lim had finished drinking with his friends when he visited his 61-year-old father’s hardware shop at Kranji at about 9am, where he had a dispute with the latter.

Things then escalated and Lim pushed his father with both hands and caused him to fall down, before punching his father in the face repeatedly. The father suffered injuries to his face and throat.

The victim then successfully got a personal protection order against his son on 25 October 2021, but it still didn’t deter his son from going back to his shop on 29 October 2022 and 8 November 2022 to threaten him.

He was then remanded from 30 November 2022 to 19 January earlier this year.

Attacked his mother

Shortly after, Lim started to live with his mother and her boyfriend.

On 21 April, his mother texted him to remind him to keep the toilet clean, and this made him angry. When his mother and her boyfriend came home later that day, they saw him wearing rings that they thought were a weapon.

The couple then left and drove to a police station to ask for help.

They eventually moved out of the home for their own safety, but Lim continued to threaten them by messaging them on WhatsApp.

His mother then obtained an expedited personal protection order against her son on 24 April, but he continued to harass her unrelentingly through phone calls and text messages.

On 5 May, Lim smashed their television at home before the couple returned home, and didn’t pay for the damages.

In May 2021, a daring and illegal immigration attempt unfolded in the waters surrounding Singapore. Yudi Muhita, a 41-year-old Indonesian man, embarked on a perilous journey from Batam, Indonesia, to Singapore via a speedboat.

He was ultimately arrested last week on 10 October and was jailed for 18 months and given 10 strokes of the cane on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to one count of illegally entering Singapore and another count of entering Singapore after being lawfully sent out from the country, according to The Straits Times.

Court documents did not specify his activities during his time in Singapore.

Previously caught for similar offence

He was previously convicted for the same offence, having been jailed 6 months and given 10 strokes of the cane back in 2016 for illegally entering Singapore, as well as another jail term of one year for re-entering Singapore after being removed, before being deported after his jail term and banned from coming back on 31 December 2016.

He was informed that he required prior written permission from the Controller of Immigration to return to Singapore, and failure to do so would result in his being prosecuted under the law.

However, he planned to come back to Singapore a few years later to look for work, and in early May 2021, he put his plans to action.

The Perilous Voyage

Yudi Muhita’s journey commenced in Batam, Indonesia, where he set out on a speedboat headed for Singapore, then as he neared the shoreline in Changi, he disembarked from the speedboat and proceeded to swim towards the Singaporean shore and entered the country illegally.

Yudi’s luck ran out more than two years later, on October 10, 2023, when he was apprehended by police officers at Kranji MRT station.

The reason for his arrest was simple yet compelling—he could not produce any evidence to show that he was legally staying in Singapore.

Appearing in court on Tuesday, Yudi pleaded for leniency. He presented himself as the sole breadwinner for his family, emphasizing his responsibility towards his two children who were still young.

ADVISORY ON EVENTS AND PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES IN RELATION TO ISRAEL-HAMAS CONFLICT

The Police are aware of events and public assemblies being organised in relation to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The National Parks Board (NParks) has also received applications to use the Speakers’ Corner for events related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Police have assessed that there are public safety and security concerns associated with such events, given the heightened tensions. NParks shares the same concerns. There have been numerous incidents of violence reported in many countries amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. For instance, an Israeli staff from the Israeli Embassy in Beijing was stabbed in front of a supermarket, and a teacher was fatally stabbed by a Chechen individual in France. The peace and harmony between different races and religions in Singapore should not be taken for granted, and we must not let events happening externally affect the internal situation within Singapore. Given the sensitivity of the topic and the volatility of the situation overseas, there is a real risk that such events could give rise to public disorder. As such, applications to hold such events will be turned down.

The Police would like to remind members of the public that public assemblies in Singapore are regulated under the Public Order Act 2009, and that organising or participating in a public assembly without a Police permit in Singapore constitutes an offence under the Public Order Act 2009. The Police will not grant any permit for assemblies that advocate political causes of other countries or foreign entities, or may have the potential to stir emotions and lead to public order incidents.

The Police would also like to remind members of the public to engage in responsible and respectful discussions on this topic, online or otherwise, and avoid making insensitive or offensive remarks about race or religion, which may threaten Singapore’s racial and religious harmony. Under Singapore law:

a) Uttering words with the deliberate intention of wounding the racial feelings of a person is an offence under Section 298 of the Penal Code 1871, and is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, or fine, or both.

b) Knowingly promoting or attempting to promote, on grounds of race, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different racial groups is an offence under Section 298A(a) of the Penal Code 1871, and is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, or fine, or both.

c) Committing an act prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility is an offence under Section 298A(b) of the Penal Code 1871, and is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, or fine, or both.

d) Knowingly engaging in conduct on the ground of religion or religious belief or activity that urges violence against a target person or target group, or knowingly engaging in conduct urging violence against a target person or target group distinguished by religion or religious belief or activity, is an offence under Section 17E of the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990, and is punishable with imprisonment of up to ten years, or fine, or both.

e) Knowingly engaging in conduct that incites feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility against any target group distinguished by religion, religious belief or activity, knowing that such feelings against the target group are likely to occur, and where such feelings would threaten the public peace or public order in Singapore, is an offence under Section 17F(3) of the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990, and is punishable with imprisonment of up to five years, or fine, or both.

f) Knowingly engaging in conduct that insults the religion or religious belief or activity, or wounds the religious feelings of, a target person distinguished by religion or religious belief or activity, knowing that such insult or wounding is likely to occur, and where the insult or wounding would threaten the public peace or public order in Singapore, is an offence under Section 17F(4) of the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990, and is punishable with imprisonment of up to five years, or fine, or both.

The Police take a serious view of acts which could potentially harm the racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Any person who makes remarks or acts in a manner which potentially causes ill-will and hostility between different races or religious groups in Singapore will be dealt with swiftly and in accordance with the law.

In a heart-wrenching incident, a 90-year-old man, Mr. Choo Chin Nam, tragically lost his life after suffering a severe head injury from an alleged attack by another elderly man, 72-year-old Toh Teck Chye, according to The Straits Times.

The incident took place at the void deck of Block 3 Marsiling Road.

Toh was charged in court on Tuesday with voluntarily causing grievous hurt, and is being accused of pushing the deceased on Sunday (15 October).

The Tragic Incident

The incident occurred on 15 October at approximately 11:30 am. Mr. Choo Chin Nam was allegedly pushed to the ground by another senior citizen, Toh Teck Chye, who is 72 years old.

Toh Teck Chye, the alleged attacker, is himself, a senior citizen. However, it was not revealed in court documents why the alleged attack took place.

Mr. Choo Chin Nam, the victim in this case, was a 90-year-old man who suffered a grievous head injury as a result of the alleged assault.

Remand of Toh

Toh Teck Chye is currently remanded at the Central Police Division, awaiting further legal proceedings. His case has been adjourned to October 24, where more details about the incident are expected to emerge.

Those convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt can face severe penalties, including imprisonment for up to 10 years and fines or caning.

However, Toh cannot be caned under Singapore law, given his age, as he is over 50 years old.

Other similar fight news

A food delivery rider was upset with another food delivery rider over a misunderstanding, where one of them thought the other was “following” him.

It eventually escalated to a knife attack, with the victim suffering a 5cm cut on his right arm, according to TODAY.

38-year-old Sim Wei Jie pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt, and was sentenced to 7 months imprisonment on 16 October, as well as an additional penalty of 72 days imprisonment for committing the offence while under a remission order from prison.

In the quiet hours of October 17, near the junction of Middle Road and Queen Street, a blue Mercedes collided with a tree and flipped over onto its side, according to Shin Min Daily News.

However, before the authorities could arrive at the scene, the driver and the passenger had already “disappeared” and was nowhere to be found.

The Accident: A Terrifying Incident

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the accident occurred at approximately 1:55 am.

An eyewitness, Ms Xu, spoke to Shin Min Daily News and said that she saw the car trying to make a right turn, before ending up driving into the bushes and crashed into a tree by the roadside, before the car then flipped over.

Xu observed that four to five men, who seemed to be workers from a nearby bar, rushed to the scene to help. These Good Samaritans rescued both the male driver and the female passenger from the overturned vehicle.

The male driver and his female passenger appeared to be drunk as one of the workers who rescued them, said in hokkien “they are drunk”, and the two then left the scene in a taxi before the police and ambulance arrived.

Vehicle Condition and Speed

The car was seen resting on the pavement with its doors flung open. The vehicle exhibited significant external damage, with noticeable scratches, and the airbags had deployed.

Xu added that the car was travelling quite fast at the time of the crash, and revealed that a female food delivery rider also got hit by the car.

The rider said that the subsequent accident happened in front of her and terrified her.

Ongoing Investigations

The Singapore Police Force confirmed the crash and said that they are currently investigating the incident, the SCDF also confirmed the incident and added that their aid was not required at the time.