A 36-year-old Vietnamese man was fined S$2,500 after pleading guilty to committing an obscene act in public under an overhead bridge along Jalan Chermat in Serangoon.
The man, identified as Hoang Viet Thanh, had attempted to evade the watchful eye of the public but was caught in the act.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Thursday, August 24, when Hoang Viet Thanh was spotted by a passerby engaging in an indecent act under an overhead bridge. It was reported that believing himself unseen due to the darkness, the 36-year-old man resorted to m*sturbating in public.
However, his actions were interrupted when a passerby, a 24-year-old woman, took out her phone to call the police upon witnessing the illicit act.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Heershan Kaur revealed that this was not Hoang Viet Thanh’s first offense.
A similar charge for engaging in a similar act under a different overhead bridge was taken into consideration during the trial.
DPP Kaur highlighted that on May 7, around 10.30 pm, Hoang was observed watching explicit content while aboard a bus. Subsequently, he disembarked at a bus stop along 1 Jalan Chermat in Serangoon and proceeded to the aforementioned overhead bridge to repeat his inappropriate behavior.
As the trial progressed, Hoang’s lawyer, Mr. Clarence Tan from Unilegal, pleaded for leniency on behalf of his client. Tan emphasized that Hoang was genuinely remorseful for his actions and had promptly admitted guilt.
Furthermore, the defense lawyer acknowledged the seriousness of the offense and assured the court that Hoang understood the gravity of his actions. The court was informed that each count of committing an obscene act in public could lead to a jail term of up to three months, a fine, or both. Considering the defendant’s previous offense and the fact that he had repeated his actions within a short period, DPP Kaur sought a fine of S$2,000.
The court, however, imposed a slightly higher fine of S$2,500.
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