4 charged for taunting, verbal abuse of cop at murder scene
Four men who allegedly filmed themselves taunting and verbally abusing a police officer on duty were charged on Sept 25.
Md Dino Marciano Abdul Wahab, Alex Kumar Gnanasekaran, Mohamed Eusof Mohamed Yahiya and Mohanan V Balakrishnan were each handed one charge of committing public nuisance and one charge of harassment.
The men indicated they would be engaging a lawyer. They may be handed additional charges after investigations are concluded.
Dino, 44, Alex, 37, Eusof, 32, and Mohanan, 38, are accused of coming across a cordoned-off area along Sam Leong Road, near the vicinity of Jalan Besar, and attempting to cross it on Sept 22 at about 5am.
The area had been cordoned off by the police to preserve a murder crime scene.
A 25-year-old man died and another young man was injured after an early-morning brawl broke out near Kim San Leng Eating House in Verdun Road on Sept 22.
Muhammad Sajid Saleem, 22, has been charged with murder in relation to the case. Five others were charged with rioting with a deadly weapon while being members of an unlawful assembly.
Three men in the group charged on Sept 25 had taunted Sergeant Wayne Lim Chee Kiat, who was stationed at the cordon, while the fourth filmed the encounter.
Sgt Lim had then advised the four men to use an alternative route.
In a video nearly two minutes long that was posted on social media, the group can be seen and heard arguing with and sneering at Sgt Lim.
As the group became more agitated, Alex can be seen gesturing at Sgt Lim and mentioning the officer is a civil servant.
He can be heard saying to him “we are paying our tax”, before turning to Mohanan to ask him to record a video of the scene.
Alex then told Sgt Lim: “You want to talk like (a) gangster? I can show you 100 per cent pure gangster”, as another police officer led Alex away.
Dino can be heard telling Sgt Lim: “You talked like (a) gangster, you know, we all scared, you know.”
This is followed by the group laughing.
Eusof eventually led the group away after sneering at Sgt Lim and saying: “He’s going to cry already, he’s going to cry already”.
In a statement released on Sept 24, the police said investigating officers managed to establish the identity of all four men after the incident on Sept 22, and arrested them the next day.
Their case was adjourned to allow the police investigation to be completed, and the group will return to court on Oct 8.
The police said they do not tolerate any abuse towards officers carrying out their duties, and will not hesitate to take action against abusers.
Those found guilty of using abusive language against a public servant can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to $5,000, or both.
Those found guilty of causing public nuisance can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $2,000, or both.
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