Teen smokes 'Gulp'50s who swallowed a cigarette, and the reason is amazing
Jul 31, 2024
|
It was in good faith to prevent him from paying a fine for smoking in a non-smoking area.
According to local media MS News, a 53-year-old man named Ramamurti was fined S$1,000 (about 1 million won) by a court on the 30th (local time) for swallowing a teen's cigarette.
According to the court, a teenager was cracked down on by National Environment Agency (NEA) staff in March while smoking at a non-smoking area in Hougang, Singapore.
Employees said they committed the crime and asked for personal information from the teenager. It was to issue stickers and impose fines.
Employees asked the hesitant teen to present his ID again, and at that moment Ramamurti stole the teen's cigarette and swallowed it and shouted "Run away".
The teenager ran away, but Ramamurti was caught at the scene.
As a result of the investigation, he stated that he did not want to have a stain on his record at a young age.
Appearing in court, he is supporting his 84-year-old mother"I didn't know it was a crime to eat cigarettes in Singapore," he said, appealing for leniency.
However, the judge pointed out that "you are not imposing a fine for eating cigarettes" and "the charge is that it interfered with the legitimate exercise of authority by public officials"."
Meanwhile, in Singapore, smoking outside of a smoking area is fined between 200 and 1,000 Singapore dollars.
In addition, first-time offenders who obstruct the execution of official duties could face fines of up to SGD2,000. Recidivism or repeat offenders can face fines of up to S$5,000 and up to three months in prison or both.
bellho@sportschosun.com
