A 31-year-old man, Jonathan Ong Jun Jie, was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined S$4,000 on February 13 for making racist remarks and subsequently harassing police officers through social media.
The case garnered attention after video clips of Ong’s confrontations with the police went viral, with one clip accumulating over 6 million views on TikTok.
According to CNA, Ong’s charges stemmed from an incident on January 1, 2023, when he was working as a cashier at a Cheers convenience store located at Lau Pa Sat, Raffles Quay.
During the course of his shift, a customer, Mr. Namasivayam Jayapal, approached the counter to purchase beer.
Ong reportedly insulted Mr. Namasivayam by stating that he was from Bangladesh and demeaning the country in the process. This exchange led Mr. Namasivayam to call the police after cursing at Ong.
When police officers, including Staff Sergeant Mohammad Firdaus Hassan, arrived at the scene, Ong began recording them with his mobile phone. Despite being warned about the potential consequences of refusing to provide his personal details and recording the officers during their investigation, Ong continued his actions. He later posted six videos on TikTok, two of which included derogatory captions aimed at the police – which included the captions “SPF thug-like behaviour” and “Cop lying through his teeth”.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Da Zhuan argued that Ong’s comments were “clearly rude and offensive” and that he intended to harass the officers through his online posts. Ong contested the charges and represented himself during the trial, questioning Mr. Namasivayam about his state of sobriety at the time of the incident.
The prosecution recommended a fine between S$3,000 and S$3,500, along with a jail term of seven to ten days, highlighting Ong’s disobedience to police authority as an aggravating factor. In his defense, Ong claimed to be unaware that posting videos of police officers could be considered abusive.
While District Judge Teoh Ai Lin inquired about Ong’s ability to pay the fine, he replied, “I am more than able to pay but I’m not willing to pay.” Consequently, he will serve an additional eight days in prison instead of paying the fine.
Under Singapore law, Ong faced a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to S$5,000 for using insulting words with the intent to harass another individual.
For his actions against the police, he could have faced up to 12 months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
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