Singapore: British man handed jail term for not wearing mask

Officials in Singapore said on Thursday that a British man received a jail sentence of six weeks for not wearing a mask and harassing police.

Singapore has taken a tough line against people breaking virus rule. There have been several cases of foreigners being punished.

Benjamin Glynn, the British man, was arrested after clip of him not wearing a mask on a train went viral. The clip had gone viral in May.

The 40-year-old subsequently harassed police sent to arrest him, and refused to wear a face-covering during a court appearance last month.

According to reports, Glynn delivered a rant in court -- in which he described the proceedings as "preposterous" and "disgusting" -- and said masks were not effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

This prompted the judge to order a psychiatric assessment, but Glynn was deemed fit enough for the case to continue.

On Wednesday, he was convicted for breaching Covid-19 rules, his behaviour towards police, and causing a public nuisance.

A court official confirmed the jail term to AFP on Thursday, saying it was backdated to July 19 -- the date when Glynn was first remanded.

(With inputs from agencies)