A Chinese national was fined S$2,000 (RM6,586) in Singapore for urinating on an escalator handrail at the Outram Park MRT station.
The man, Li Guorui, 41, pled guilty to one charge of being a nuisance in public on Tuesday (Jan 14), the Straits Times reported.
This incident is said to be among three public urinations at MRT stations in Singapore in the past week.
Deputy public prosecutor Jeremy Bin sought to fine Li between S$1,500 (RM4,939) and S$2,000 stating the Chinese national’s act was “unacceptable” and “rather disconcerting”, asserting his sentence should “reflect” his actions, as quoted.
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He also pointed out that Li urinated on the part of an escalator the public can easily touch.
“His act extends beyond just causing annoyance, and concerns issues of sanitation and disease-spreading,” he was quoted as saying.
In this case involving Li, the prosecution confirmed that he arrived in Singapore on January 2 for a business trip.
Later on January 8, Li went for a business dinner held from 7pm to 9pm at a shopping mall and became intoxicated after consuming a lot of alcohol.
At around 10pm that day, upon exiting the Outram Park MRT station to return to his hotel, Li unzipped his pants and urinated on a handrail of a downward-moving escalator.
Bin told the court that Li’s act was caught on camera then circulated all over social media platforms.
Li was then arrested by the Singapore police last Sunday (Jan 12) and was charged in court on Monday (Jan 13)
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In the case mitigation, Li, who did not have legal representation, said he committed the offence “on the spur of the moment”, as quoted, and ensured cooperation with the authorities during their investigation.
Before Li’s sentence was meted out, District Judge Paul Chan agreed with the prosecution that his act raised issues regarding public health and sanitation on top of causing “annoyance to the public.
“SMRT is now required to service the escalator, on top of its usual service routines. This has cost implications. What the accused has done has an impact on the reputation of SMRT and its ability to provide a safe and clean transportation environment,” Chan was quoted as saying.
