SINGAPORE: A 54-year-old woman caught on camera not wearing a mask at Marina Bay Sands and other public places has been sentenced to 16 weeks in prison.
Phoon Chiu Yoke pleaded guilty to nine charges of violating COVID-19 requirements on Monday (Sep 6).
Phoon first made headlines in May, after an online video of her arguing about not wearing a mask with a safe distancing ambassador at Marina Bay Sands went viral.
She faced an initial 22 charges, including one for not wearing a mask while outside the State Courts in May, where she was caught doing so on camera by members of the media.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Heershan Kaur said that the accused had left her hotel room without a mask at Marina Bay Sands on multiple occasions while still serving her stay-home notice after returning home from Britain in June last year.
The court also heard that Phoon - who appeared in court via video-link while in remand - had visited eateries and attended church services at Saint Andrew’s Cathedral while maskless, among other instances of being in violation of COVID-19 regulations.
The remaining 13 charges were taken into consideration.
The prosecution sought a sentence of between 17 and 22 weeks imprisonment, while Phoon’s lawyer Amos Cai asked for a fine for his client.
Phoon has been in remand since Jul 24, a month after she was caught not wearing a mask at Mandarin Orchard on Jun 25, while she was on bail for multiple similar charges.
She was charged a month later and remanded when her S$12,000 bail was revoked .
Phoon was first charged in December last year after allegedly failing to wear a mask over her nose and mouth at Newton hawker centre on May 8, 2020, during Singapore’s "circuit breaker" period.
Previous hearings saw Phoon urge the prosecution to drop charges against her over procedural errors, claiming that she was an “ex-naval officer of professional standing”.
She was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks for a psychiatric assessment, though details of her report were not given in open court.
Her sentence will be backdated to take into account her time in remand.
For each charge of contravening a COVID-19 control order, Phoon could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
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Phoon Chiu Yoke pleaded guilty to nine charges of violating COVID-19 requirements on Monday (Sep 6).
Phoon first made headlines in May, after an online video of her arguing about not wearing a mask with a safe distancing ambassador at Marina Bay Sands went viral.
She faced an initial 22 charges, including one for not wearing a mask while outside the State Courts in May, where she was caught doing so on camera by members of the media.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Heershan Kaur said that the accused had left her hotel room without a mask at Marina Bay Sands on multiple occasions while still serving her stay-home notice after returning home from Britain in June last year.
The court also heard that Phoon - who appeared in court via video-link while in remand - had visited eateries and attended church services at Saint Andrew’s Cathedral while maskless, among other instances of being in violation of COVID-19 regulations.
The remaining 13 charges were taken into consideration.
The prosecution sought a sentence of between 17 and 22 weeks imprisonment, while Phoon’s lawyer Amos Cai asked for a fine for his client.
Phoon has been in remand since Jul 24, a month after she was caught not wearing a mask at Mandarin Orchard on Jun 25, while she was on bail for multiple similar charges.
She was charged a month later and remanded when her S$12,000 bail was revoked .
Phoon was first charged in December last year after allegedly failing to wear a mask over her nose and mouth at Newton hawker centre on May 8, 2020, during Singapore’s "circuit breaker" period.
Previous hearings saw Phoon urge the prosecution to drop charges against her over procedural errors, claiming that she was an “ex-naval officer of professional standing”.
She was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks for a psychiatric assessment, though details of her report were not given in open court.
Her sentence will be backdated to take into account her time in remand.
For each charge of contravening a COVID-19 control order, Phoon could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
Continue reading...