Man jailed for religious abuse, threatening to kill security officer
He committed this and other offences a day after his release from prison
A day after he was released from prison, he hurled religiously-charged abuse at a security guard, threatened to kill him and threw a glass bottle out of a moving taxi.
Jasvinder Singh Mehar Singh, 52, found himself back behind bars after he was jailed for 20 weeks for the offences, which he had committed at Suntec City after downing 20 cans of beer.
Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to wounding the religious feelings of the officer, using threatening words against him and committing a rash act. Three other charges, including failing to wear a mask, were taken into consideration.
Singh had been jailed for two months on April 2 for smashing a plate at a restaurant in Crowne Plaza Changi Airport hotel on March 3, kicking a plastic sign and spitting on the floor, shouting, "corona, corona!"
After his jail term, he went to Suntec City on June 28 at 11am.
Soon after, the security officer, 31, was alerted that Singh was causing a disturbance.
Singh, who reeked of alcohol and behaved aggressively, told the security officer he had found a pair of boxers on the floor and suspected that there might have been a possible rape.
He was told the security team would follow up on his claims and was advised to leave.
Singh then asked if the officer was Muslim and verbally abused him, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Matthew Choo.
Singh was escorted into a taxi by the officer, but he returned in the same cab at about 12.15pm, throwing a glass bottle onto the pavement at a drop-off point while the taxi was making a turn.
The DPP said: "It was wholly fortuitous that there were no pedestrians."
Singh went to a nearby restaurant, where he was approached by police officers after the security officer made a police report.
Drinking a pint of beer while being questioned, Singh continued his racist tirade.
When he saw the security officer, he shouted, "I will wake up every day and kill you" and spat on the floor. At least four police officers were present at the time and Singh was arrested.
A penknife with a 9cm blade was seized from him.
Singh, who was remanded in the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks, was assessed to have alcohol use disorder and anti-social personality disorder but was of sound mind.
Defence counsel Derek Kang sought 10 weeks' jail and said his client's threat against the security officer was nonsensical.
The presence of police officers also meant that, realistically, one would not expect the victim to be alarmed, he said.
Singh's sentence was backdated to June 30 and with the usual one-third remission for good behaviour, he would have been released yesterday.
In sentencing Singh, District Judge Tan Jen Tse said: "I hope you can stay out of prison for longer than a day."
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