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4 men, including 'Spider-Man', charged over New Year's Eve gathering at Clarke Quay

(PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)
(PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE — Four men were charged on Tuesday (25 January) for breaching COVID-19 curbs at Clarke Quay on New Year's Eve.

The four, aged between 19 and 22, are William Alexander Brooks-Potts, Verma Pulkit, Kotra Venkata Sai Rohankrishna and Harjaz Singh. Their nationalities were not stated in their charge sheets.

Each man was given two charges. These are for failing to wear a mask over their noses and mouths while outside Riverside Point near Read Bridge, at around midnight on 1 January, and for failing to keep a safe distance of at least one metre from other individuals while in a public place.

Kotra faces an extra charge of attending a gathering while dressed in a Spider-Man costume. He is said to have attended the gathering with three others, and to have interacted with about 20 other individuals to record video interviews and take photographs.

Each were handed charges under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.

Verma and Singh are expected to be given one more charge, also related to social gatherings, when they return to court.

The four cases will return to court on 8 February.

If convicted, each man can be jailed up to six months, and/or fined up to $10,000.

Another four who also breached measures were served notices of composition of $1,000 each, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) earlier.

During the New Year's Eve celebration, the crowd at the Clarke Quay reportedly grew too large for police officers at the scene to control.

In early January, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on COVID-19 (MTF), said that enforcement agencies are combing through CCTV footage of the spontaneous gathering at Clarke Quay, and different individuals will be called in for "interviews".

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