Clement Joshua Tan Teck Kim, 48, pleaded guilty yesterday (23 April) to causing public nuisance when he pressed the emergency stop button at an MRT station to retrieve his phone on the MRT tracks.
He also punched a security officer who tried to stop him from fleeing the station.
On 29 February, at about 11am, last year, Tan accidentally dropped his phone onto the tracks as he was boarding the train.
He then sought help from the SMRT staff, when the station manager told him that he could only retrieve the phone the next day because train services cannot be disrupted.
Tan however, insisted the services be stopped, which resulted in the manager calling the police, who got Tan to leave the station.
He then returned to Buona Vista MRT station that same day, at around 3.50pm, telling the staff that he needed his phone urgently as his baby had a fever and he needed to speak to his girlfriend.
He was then again told that his situation was not an emergency, to which Tan then pressed the emergency stop button.
The assistant station manager tried to stop him but Tan pushed him away.
Tan then punched a security officer who tried to stop him from fleeing the station, the officer suffered minor injuries on his face.
Tan was then arrested later that day.
Tan told the court that he was sorry for causing hurt and inconvenience to the people involved.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Zhi Jie said that Tan was diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
District Judge Kessler Soh asked for him to be assessed to see if his condition contributed to his offences.
Tan is due to return to court on 21 May.
Images source: smrttrains.com.sg and Google Maps