If there’s one thing to know about the laws in Singapore, it’s that you should never take your phone out and film people without their consent.
While it is typically not against the law to take videos or photographs of individuals in public spaces without their consent, it becomes an offence if someone is filmed in a private place or engaged in a private act without permission.
A former Cheers cashier recently found himself in trouble for recording and posting videos of a dispute online.
He was then sentenced to 10 days in jail and a $4,000 fine for harassment.
What could he have possibly recorded at work that resulted in jail time?
Former Cheers Cashier Who Filmed Police Officer Without Consent Jailed for Harassment
Although the court ruling was only made public recently, the incident actually took place on 1 January 2023 at the Cheers outlet in Lau Pa Sat hawker centre, Raffles Quay, reported The Straits Times.
During a trial on 26 February 2024, Singaporean security officer Namasivayam Jayapal testified that he had visited the Cheers store around 8pm on the night of the incident to buy beer.
At the time, the cashier on duty was Jonathan Ong Jun Jie, 31. What started as a casual exchange quickly escalated into a heated argument, leading to an encounter with the police.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Lee Da Zhuan, Mr Jayapal attempted to engage Ong in friendly small talk and asked if he was a foreigner.
According to the TikTok video posted by Ong, he claimed that Mr Jayapal had asked if he was from Malaysia or China.
Apparently, some people do find it offensive when asked such questions.
Ong took offence to the question and responded that Mr Jayapal was from Chennai or Bangladesh.
During the trial, it was revealed that Ong also made a condescending statement, claiming that Mr Jayapal was “under his feet”.
Feeling insulted, Mr Jayapal admitted that he responded with a vulgarity, which escalated the situation further.
Ong then stepped out from behind the cashier’s counter and made threatening gestures.
Mr Jayapal testified that Ong showed signs and tattoos, indicating that he finished work at 11pm and could meet up if he was “not happy”.
Mr Jayapal reported the incident to the police before leaving the store. However, he later received a warning letter for his own conduct during the exchange.
Filming the Police Without Consent
When police officers arrived at the scene, Staff Sergeant Mohammad Firdaus Hassan was among them.
As they began talking to Ong, he took out his mobile phone and started recording the interaction.
DPP Lee stated in court that none of the officers, including Staff Sgt Firdaus, had given consent to filming the incident.
Refusing to Provide Particulars to the Police
Before proceeding with any questioning, Staff Sgt Firdaus asked Ong for his personal particulars. However, Ong refused to comply.
In the TikTok video, Ong appeared hesitant to provide his particulars, insisting that he had not committed any offence. In response, Staff Sgt Firdaus stated, “It’s not about whether you did any offence. I just need to verify your ID, that’s all.”
The officer warned him that failure to provide this information could lead to legal consequences.
Despite this, Ong continued filming and later uploaded the videos to TikTok, where they gained traction.
Two of his videos were captioned “SPF thug-like behaviour” and “Cop lying through his teeth”. These clips quickly spread across social media and went viral.
DPP Lee argued that Ong’s captions were offensive and defamatory.
Publishing the Officer’s Identity to Harass Him
Beyond filming without consent, Ong also publicly shared identifying information about Staff Sgt Firdaus.
During the trial, the officer testified that he was “insulted and in shock” when he discovered that his identity had been revealed online without his permission.
The prosecution argued that Ong’s actions were not only unlawful but also intended to cause distress to the officer.
Ong, who was unrepresented by a lawyer, attempted to defend himself by making multiple claims in court. He insisted that he had never used abusive language towards Mr Jayapal and that their conversation had been “peaceful”.
Additionally, Ong alleged that he had felt threatened by Staff Sgt Firdaus and believed the officer was going to “manhandle” him.
However, the prosecution refuted this claim, pointing out that Ong himself admitted in court that the officer did not “manhandle” him.
The prosecutor further clarified that the officer was merely attempting to effect an arrest after Ong repeatedly refused to provide his particulars.
Conviction and Sentencing
According to a Facebook post by Cheers on 4 January 2023, Ong was fired following the incident on 1 January 2023.
In 2024, District Judge Teoh Ai Lin convicted Ong of three harassment charges after a trial.
Two additional charges — related to Ong’s failure to report to a police officer during an investigation — were taken into consideration during sentencing.
On 13 February 2024, Ong was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined $4,000 for harassment.
Should he fail to pay the fine, he will be required to serve an additional eight days behind bars.
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