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.