British national Benjamin Glynn released from jail after sentence was backdated; awaiting deportation

Though sentenced to six weeks in jail on Wednesday (18 Aug) for not wearing a mask on an MRT train, British national Benjamin Glynn has been released from prison.

The 40-year-old was handed over to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). The ICA will be making arrangements for his deportation, though there hasn’t been an announcement on when it will happen.

Mr Glynn’s prison sentence was backdated to the date of his remand in prison on 19 July, said the Singapore Prison Service (SPF) on Thursday (19 Aug). He was held there until 4 August.

After that, District Judge Eddy Tham ordered for Mr Glynn to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) from 4 to 18 August for an assessment of his mental health after the defendant claimed to be a “sovereign”.

In court on Wednesday, the judge was told that Mr Glynn was found to have no mental conditions. Subsequently, the prosecution proceeded with his trial. The trial lasted for over eight hours, with Mr Glynn representing himself.

The British national contested the four charges against him of failing to wear a mask without reasonable excuse, public nuisance, and using threatening words towards a public servant.

Mr Glynn, who appeared in court without a mask, said during the hearing the basis of his defence was that he has not “agreed to his contract” of wearing a face mask and that there was “no jurisdiction over him”.

He only donned a mask after being ordered by court officers.

The prosecution sought a seven-week sentence, telling the Court that Mr Glynn has filed a frivolous defence in court and that he shows no remorse for his action.

District Judge Tham, who reminded Mr Glynn several times during the hearing to wear his mask properly, found him guilty of all four charges. He also chided Mr Glynn for his misguided thinking that he is above the law, stressing that it is applicable to anyone who sets foot in Singapore.

During the trial, an unidentified woman was instructed to leave the courtroom as she was not wearing a mask. She refused to leave. She said that she was a “living breathing person” and could not be told what to do.

She also told Judge Tham that she did not respect him, adding that he was presiding over a “kangaroo court”. For those who are unaware, the term refers to an unofficial court where people are found guilty without sound evidence or due process.

A spokesperson of the State Courts said that the matter has been referred to the police.

Mr Glynn was arrested earlier in June after a video of him on the MRT without a mask started to circulate on social media. After a little over a day in jail, he was charged in court.

The expat’s passport was also confiscated.

Mr Glynn has been employed at a Singapore branch of a British recruitment firm since January 2017. He was due to return to the UK for a new job a few weeks after the video was posted online.

Under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020, Mr Glynn is liable to be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed up to six months, or both, for failing to wear a mask without reasonable excuse.

A repeated offender could be fined up to S$20,000 or jailed for up to a year, or both.

As for the public nuisance charge, it carries a fine of up to S$2,000, three months imprisonment, or both.

Anyone found guilty of using threatening words towards a public servant faces a fine of up to S$5,000, one year jail, or both.