Photo: FusionMedical Animation/Unsplash
TLDR version: An earlier report on 25 August (Coronavirus: 3 people plead guilty over illicit gathering of 13 in Beo Crescent, Courts & Crime News & Top Stories – The Straits Times) had stated that 13 young people, including two under the age of 16, had been reported for gathering illegally during Phase 2, when the limit was up to 5 people in a group.
The older members in the group (in their 20s and 30s) were fined a higher amount than those who were 19 and 20 years old.
A 14-year-old in the group was given a conditional warning.
19-year old Aqlima Abdul Azmi was one of those who pleaded guilty but initially failed to show up for sentencing.
When she finally appeared in court, she was handed a fine of $3000 which she could not pay, and she therefore served the default sentence of 12 days’ jail instead.
The report reiterated that for each charge under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000, while a repeat offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $20,000.
More thoughts: Other than highlighting how the restrictions in the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act apply strictly to everyone including young people who understandably miss hanging out with their friends, this case is also instructive in showing how the age of the offender may influence sentencing.
Note also that the names of the 14 and 15-year-olds were not published – per the Children and Young Persons Act, the identity of offenders up until 18 years old must be protected.