SINGAPORE: Four men were each charged on Wednesday (Sep 25) with causing public nuisance and using abusive language against a police officer.
They had allegedly done so at a crime scene in Little India, which officers had cordoned off to investigate an alleged murder.
An almost two-minute video of them doing so was uploaded on social media Facebook page ROADS.sg last Sunday, garnering more than 423,000 views in three days.
The four men are: Md Dino Marciano Abdul Wahab, 44; Alex Kumar Gnansekaran, 37; Mohamed Eusof Mohamed Yahiya, 32; and Mohanan V Balakrishnan, 32.
Court documents showed that the four men had allegedly shouted at police officers at about 5.10am last Sunday.
They used phrases such as “You talked like a gangster, you know, we all scared, you know”, “We are paying tax, we are paying our ****ing tax” and “I can show you 100 per cent gangster”.
The incident took place in the back lane of Sam Leong Road in Little India, where an alleged murder had taken place.
The case involved Muhammad Sajid Saleem, 22, who on Monday was charged with the murder of a 25-year-old along Verdun Road. Another five men were also charged in relation to the incident.
The four men charged on Wednesday are unrelated to the alleged murder. They told the court on Wednesday that they intend to seek legal representation.
The police prosecutor also told the court that investigations are ongoing and that the four men might face additional charges.
The four men will be back in court on Oct 8.
ALLEGEDLY TAUNTED POLICE OFFICERS
In a press release, the police said that officers were preserving “a murder crime scene” along Sam Leong Road at about 5.10am on Sunday when the four men approached.
They allegedly tried to cross the cordoned-off area, but were advised to use an alternative route.
“Three of the men then allegedly taunted and used abusive language against the officers, while the fourth man purportedly filmed the interactions with his mobile phone,” said the police.
“Despite the four men’s behaviour, the officers exercised restraint and strived to de-escalate the situation, even as they were trying to manage the ongoing murder investigation.”
The four men used the alternative route “only after much persuasion”, said the police.
The police added that they will not hesitate to take action against persons who obstruct public servants carrying out their duties, and against persons who use abusive behaviour towards their officers.
Any person found guilty of using abusive language against a public servant can be jailed up to a year, fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,900) or both.
Those found guilty of causing public nuisance face a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000 or both.
The article was originally published in TODAY.
