Clariel Griffin pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to wear a mask and another charge of using criminal force against a public servant. - ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A woman who refused to wear a mask amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 also pulled down the mask of a social distancing ambassador (SDA) when she was confronted.
On June 24, Singaporean Clariel Griffin, 49, was fined S$9,200 (RM32,000) after pleading guilty to one charge of failing to wear a mask and another charge of using criminal force against a public servant.
Her husband, Briton Clive Ainsley Griffin, was fined S$1,200 (RM4,150) in September 2023 after he pleaded guilty to an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
He had refused to put on his mask when told to do so by an SDA and questioned the need to wear a mask in Singapore, calling it “oppressive”.
On June 24, Deputy Public Prosecutor Natalie Chu said the couple and three of their friends were having dinner and alcoholic drinks at the Dallas bar in Marina Bay Sands on the evening of Sept 11, 2021.
At around 10.15pm, a group of SDAs was patrolling the food and beverage outlets in Marina Bay Sands to ensure that sales and consumption of alcohol ceased by 10.30pm, in accordance with regulations then.
The bar owner repeatedly reminded the group of customers to finish their drinks by 10.30pm, according to court documents. At 10.28pm, the owner told the SDAs that bar staff were still trying to clear the drinks from Griffin’s table.
After their drinks were cleared, the couple left the bar.
While continuing with their rounds later that night, the SDAs saw the couple again at the promenade area of Marina Bay Sands and noticed they were not wearing masks.
The SDAs advised the couple to put on their masks, but they refused to do so. One SDA took out her mobile phone to record the incident.
DPP Chu said Griffin then made snide remarks aimed at the SDAs, saying that she did not respect them. She also used vulgarities, adding that she “would not live her life like this”.
Griffin then challenged the SDA to “catch (her)”, asking her to record her act of not wearing a mask.
“When the (SDA) did not respond, the accused told (her) repeatedly that she was ‘muted’. During this exchange, the accused pulled down the (SDA’s) mask without her consent, intending to illegally cause annoyance to her,” said DPP Chu.
The prosecution added that Griffin also continuously walked up to the SDA, who had to move backwards to prevent Griffin from walking into her.
DPP Chu said that Griffin’s actions made the SDA feel overwhelmed, shocked and humiliated. The incident was reported to the SDA’s supervisor and the police were alerted the next day.
Seeking a fine of $1,200 and a jail term of one or two weeks, DPP Chu said Griffin’s act of pulling down the SDA’s mask was preceded by threats and a relentless verbal tirade.
The DPP added that Griffin’s act demonstrated clear contempt for SDAs and their authority, noting that she was not provoked and yet deliberately defied the SDA.
In mitigation, her lawyers – Josephus Tan, Cory Wong, and Silas Siew from Invictus Law – said their client suffers from mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, which impaired her anger management and contributed to her offending.
The defence, who sought no more than a fine for Griffin, said a copy of her forensic psychiatric report showed that the stress of being a cancer survivor and her financial situation had contributed to her symptoms of mixed anxiety and depressive disorder.
In sentencing, District Judge Wong Peck noted that Griffin’s mental condition was a contributing factor in her offending behaviour, and said that meting out a high fine would be fair in this case. - The Straits Times/ANN
