Indian-origin youth fined for breaching COVID-19 regulations in Singapore

A 19-year-old Indian-origin man in Singapore has been fined 4,000 Singaporean dollars after he pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching COVID-19 safe management measures during last year's New Year celebrations, a media report said on Wednesday.

Kotra Venkata Sai Rohankrishna breached COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020 for having dressed in a Spiderman costume on a riverside last year's New Year Eve party.

He and three of his friends joined a crowd in Clarke Quay to film footage for his YouTube Channel, The Straits Times newspaper reported.

A few days later, he uploaded a video that contained footage of him breaching COVID-19 safe management measures.

Dressed in a Spiderman costume, Kotra actively engaged the crowd. Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin said in court documents that some time on or before New Year's Eve last year, Kotra came up with the idea of interviewing intoxicated members of the public to create a video for his YouTube channel.

He got help from his two Chinese friends Glaxy Low Xuan Ming and Lee Hern Sing as well as another Indian-origin Putchakayala Akash, who agreed to participate in and film his video.

Lee and Akash would operate the lighting and camera equipment, while Low would wear a wrestling mask and play-act in his video.

Kotra was in a Spiderman costume to attract attention to himself, said Bin, who added that Kotra wore the costume for the rest of the night and did not wear a face mask under it as was then required under COVID-19 regulations.

From about 11.30 pm to around 12.15 am the next day, the four of them gathered with numerous members of the public at various locations in Clarke Quay, including outside Clarke Quay Central and Riverside Point, to film the footage, the report said.

Following the incident, Kotra edited and curated the footage into a video lasting four minutes and 22 seconds.

He also included a narration for the video, stating that ''this New Year's celebration was a complete slap in the face to the law''.

The Deputy Public Prosecutor asked for a fine of 5,000 Singaporean dollars for Kotra, saying in his written sentencing submissions that Kotra had organised the outing and that the breach was premeditated.

Bin added, ''Based on the nature of the breach and the accused's culpability, a fine is sufficient.

''Nevertheless, the accused was the mastermind in the present case. His culpability is the highest of any person in the Clarke Quay incident charged thus far,'' he said.

Those found guilty of breaching COVID-19 regulations can be fined up to 10,000 Singaporean dollars, jailed for up to six months, or both.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)