Ad firm boss jailed for 'unprovoked' attack security supervisor at Roxy Square
A British man caught on camera punching a security supervisor at Roxy Square in April has been jailed for a week.
Yesterday, Stuart Boyd Mills, 47, a Singapore permanent resident who owns an advertising agency, pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt.
Another harassment charge was taken into consideration.
The court heard that on the night of April 3, Mills felt drunk after finishing a third of a bottle of whisky at a pub in Roxy Square. After leaving the pub at about midnight, he could not find an unlocked exit and became frustrated.
When he approached a security officer and demanded to speak to a supervisor, he was taken to Mr Andrew Lim Cheng Hock, 59, the security supervisor on duty.
Mr Lim told Mills there were two unlocked exits and two fire exits operational at the time.
He also offered to show Mills the exits so he could leave.
But Mills was unsatisfied and became aggressive towards Mr Lim. As Mr Lim's colleague filmed the scene on his mobile phone, Mills followed suit.
Mills became verbally abusive by using a vulgarity on Mr Lim and calling him an "idiot".
As they walked to the exit, Mills tripped Mr Lim using his right foot, causing the security supervisor to stumble.
Mr Lim did not fall, but Mills lost his balance and almost fell.
Angered, he punched Mr Lim on the face, causing him to fall and his spectacles to break.
Mr Lim later sought medical attention and was found to have a bruise on the right side of his face.
Mills later returned to Roxy Square to apologise. He has also made voluntary compensation of $2,000 to Mr Lim.
Asking for Mills to be jailed for two weeks, Deputy Public Prosecutor Vincent Ong said general deterrence was needed as security officers are exposed to aggression and violence but, unlike the police, they have less powers, making them vulnerable.
In mitigation, Mills' lawyer Ramesh Tiwary said his client was remorseful and ashamed by what he had done.
He also said Mills suffered from major depressive disorder and was the subject of abuse and hatred after the incident, as his personal details had been shared online.
District Judge Christopher Tan noted that Mills had voluntarily made compensation and went back to apologise.
But, noting that the attack was "entirely unprovoked", he stressed that "general deterrence (was) relevant" in this case as security officers are often in a vulnerable position.
When told of the judgment yesterday, Security Association Singapore president Raj Joshua Thomas told The New Paper that he welcomed it and hoped more can be done to protect security officers.
"Verbal and physical abuse of security officers is not uncommon," he said.
"This judgment is a heartening recognition of the vulnerability of security officers and the need for enhanced penalties against people who abuse or harass them."
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