A 25-year-old British traveller who drank an entire 700ml bottle of whiskey before causing a disturbance at Changi Airport has been sentenced to eight weeks’ jail and fined S$2,800.
Arudchelvan Karnan was sentenced on Wednesday, 2 September, after pleading guilty to one count each of harassment, public drunkenness and unlawfully entering a protected place.
He had faced five charges in total, with the remaining two taken into consideration for sentencing.
The incident happened on 20 July and eventually led to a security officer activating an anti-hijack button, which closed a door leading towards the aircraft.
His actions delayed the Scoot flight by 53 minutes.
He Drank a Whole Bottle of Whiskey Before Going to Changi Airport
According to court documents, Arudchelvan arrived in Singapore from Australia on 19 July and spent the night at a hotel in Little India.
The following morning, he drank an entire 700ml bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey at the hotel and became intoxicated.
He later travelled to Changi Airport Terminal 1, cleared immigration and went to Gate C17, where he was due to board Scoot Flight TR472 to Malaysia.
While waiting near the aerobridge, he repeatedly shouted and disturbed other passengers.
After passengers alerted a Scoot employee, she approached him. Arudchelvan accused her of being racist and directed vulgar language at her.
A decision was subsequently made to remove him from the flight.
He Pushed Past a Scoot Employee and Entered the Aerobridge
At about 4.05pm, after the other passengers had passed the boarding counter, Arudchelvan approached it.
Another Scoot employee told him he would not be allowed to board and placed a connecting strip across two bollards to stop him from proceeding.
However, Arudchelvan went underneath the strip and headed towards the aerobridge.
He shoved the employee as he went past, causing her to fall.
The employee sought help from a nearby security officer, who activated the anti-hijack button and requested assistance from the Airport Police Division.
The anti-hijack door closed, preventing Arudchelvan from reaching the aircraft.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that the incident also left one passenger who had not managed to board stranded in the aerobridge.
Arudchelvan continued shouting while being escorted away and was subsequently arrested.
The court heard that the disruption delayed the flight by 53 minutes.
Prosecution Said His Actions Created a Security Risk
Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang sought a jail term of between 10 and 12 weeks, along with a fine of between S$2,800 and S$3,500.
The prosecution argued that Arudchelvan had already caused a disturbance for at least 16 minutes before disregarding instructions and entering the aerobridge, creating a security risk for passengers and personnel working in a sensitive area.
His lawyer, K. Sathinathan, asked for a fine instead, pointing out that there were no recorded injuries and no property was damaged.
Arudchelvan was ultimately sentenced to eight weeks’ jail and fined S$2,800.
