In a bizarre incident, a 53-year-old Singaporean man was fined S$1,000 (approximately RM3,400) by the court on Tuesday (Jul 30) for obstructing a National Environment Agency (NEA) enforcement officer. Ramamoorthy Reddiar Jayaraman's unusual actions were motivated by a desire to protect a teenager's record from being tarnished by an offense.

According to court proceedings, Ramamoorthy was drinking beer alone at the void deck of Block 515, Hougang Avenue 10 on March 18 at around 8:40 pm. He was later joined by a teenager, who began smoking despite a "No Smoking" sign being displayed at the void deck. The two individuals were not related to each other.

According to CNA,  two NEA officers arrived at the void deck and conducted checks, during which one of them spotted the teenager smoking. The officer approached the teenager, introduced herself, and informed him that he had committed an offense, requesting him to provide his particulars. The nervous teenager failed to respond, prompting the officer to repeat herself.

In a surprising move, Ramamoorthy told the teenager to hand him the cigarette and then stuffed it into his mouth, instructing the teenager to flee the scene. The teenager promptly did so, leaving Ramamoorthy to face the consequences of his actions. As a result, the NEA officers were unable to take possession of the cigarette, which was evidence of the offense.

Ramamoorthy, who was unrepresented in court, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act for obstructing an NEA enforcement officer. He faced a maximum fine of S$2,000 (approximately RM6,800) as a first-time offender.

In mitigation, Ramamoorthy claimed that he ate the cigarette "at the spur of the moment" to help the teenager avoid having a "blemished record at a tender age." He also stated that he was unaware that eating cigarettes was a crime in Singapore. However, District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan corrected him, explaining that he was charged not for eating a cigarette, but for obstructing the exercise of an NEA officer's power.

Ramamoorthy paid the fine in full, and the teenager has yet to be caught. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of complying with laws and regulations, as well as the consequences of attempting to obstruct enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.

Source: CNA