A 37-year-old intoxicated man who urinated in an MRT train after unzipping his pants was fined S$2,000 (US$1,500) and imprisoned for a week on Tuesday, March 18.
The prosecution explained in court how commuters stepped on Meksuwan Suwapit's urine as it spread across the floor as the train went.
Meksuwan, a Thai national, entered a guilty plea to charges of public nuisance and obscene performance. In addition, he acknowledged the allegation of appearing intoxicated in public, which was taken into account while determining his sentence.
According to the court, Meksuwan, an inspection engineer, went out to have drinks with some friends in Somerset on January 25 of this year.
Hours later after finishing a bottle of red wine at around 4:30 pm, he boarded the train at Somerset MRT Station to travel home to Jurong East.
Meksuwan, who was drunk, urinated in the train cabin slightly after 8 pm after unzipping his pants. At the time, the train was moving between Khatib MRT station and Ang Mo Kio MRT station.
A commuter took a photo of Meksuwan in the act and later told police officers on patrol what happened.
As reported by CNA, Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Lu Jia said, "When some commuters saw the accused's actions ... they were annoyed, shocked and/or disgusted. They started moving away from the accused, to avoid the accused and the puddle of urine on the floor."
"Some commuters did not notice the puddle of urine and ended up stepping on it. When the train was moving, the puddle of urine also spread further on the floor, causing a mess and annoyance to the commuters," the prosecutor added.
Meksuwan was brought to the station's first aid facility for further inspection when the train was stopped at Woodlands MRT Station. He was arrested that day and charged two days later.
Meksuwan, who was not represented, often raised his hands in prayer to his face during the sentencing hearing.
This event is the most recent in a string of instances of people urinating in public at transportation hubs. According to reports, at least three guys urinated at MRT stations in January 2025.
Two of them, who relieved themselves at Outram Park MRT station and Potong Pasir MRT Station, were each fined S$2,000.
The Deputy Public Prosecutor noted the recent cases and said that the courts needed to send a signal that such conduct could not be condoned. She said, "There is a need to deter such obscene, unacceptable and anti-social conduct which are unfortunately prevalent. The National Environment Agency stated that an average of 600 people were fined each year for urinating or defecating in public from 2020 to 2024."
Teo requested the maximum S$2,000 fine for the allegation of public nuisance and a week in jail for Meksuwan's blatant act of exposing himself on the train.
District Judge Salina Ishak concurred with the prosecution, stating that Meksuwan's behavior annoyed and disgusted passengers in a reasonably packed train, and that his private parts were evident during the incident.
She administered the punishment that the prosecution had suggested.
Meksuwan might have been fined, imprisoned for up to three months, or both for conducting an obscene act. He might have received a jail sentence of up to S$2,000 for the public annoyance offense.
He could have faced up to six months in jail, a fine of up to S$1,000, or both for being intoxicated in public and getting people annoyed.
