Briton who refused to mask up to be deported after release from prison, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Briton who refused to mask up to be deported after release from prison

This article is more than 12 months old

Briton Benjamin Glynn is preparing to get deported, after he was released from prison on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old former recruitment consultant was sentenced to six weeks' jail after he was convicted on the same day.

District Judge Eddy Tham found him guilty of two charges under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, as well as one count each of harassment and being a public nuisance.

The sentence was backdated to July 19, from when he was first remanded.

From July 19 to Aug 4, Glynn was remanded in prison. But the court later ordered him to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health from Aug 5 to Aug 18 for a psychiatric evaluation.

As his period of remand amounted to more than two-thirds of his sentence, he was allowed to be released from prison on remission almost immediately after sentencing.

Convicts can be released on remission for good behaviour after serving two-thirds of their jail term.

But foreigners who are convicted usually have their work pass revoked and are deported after serving their sentence. Foreigners cannot remain in Singapore without a valid pass.

BANNED

A spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower said Glynn's work pass had already been cancelled earlier by his former employer, and that he is now permanently banned from working in Singapore.

A spokesman for the Singapore Prison Service said Glynn was handed over on Wednesday to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), which will be making arrangements for his deportation.

The Straits Times has contacted the ICA for comment.

On Wednesday, Judge Tham said Glynn had shown a "blatant disregard for the law" and was "completely misguided".

For each charge under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.

If convicted of harassment, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $5,000.- THE STRAITS TIMES

COURT & CRIME