On Monday, December 30, a man who tossed a tip box and hurled racist epithets at a cashier in a Project Acai Cafe was fined S$4,000 (US$2,900) and sentenced to four weeks in prison.
Rishi David Ramesh Nandwani entered a guilty plea to one charge of using derogatory language and another charge of acting rashly in a way that jeopardized the victim's safety.
When sentencing, two charges that were comparable were taken into account. The 27-year-old man appeared in court by video link from his site of custody.
'Sick of this country'
The incident took place on October 31, afternoon, when Project Acai in Holland Village was extremely crowded, including children.
The court was told that Rishi stood in front of the counter at about 12.20 pm under the mistaken belief that he was joining the queue to place an order. However, he was actually at the wrong end of the queue.
The cashier explained this to him when he tried to place his order in front of her and urged him to wait for his turn at the back of the line. When the cashier refused to serve him, Rishi became extremely upset. He attacked her in a two-minute outburst that included derogatory remarks against Chinese people.
He also declared that he was "sick of this country" and yelled profanities. He refused to move to the rear of the line and kept the line moving.
Man taken into custody for derogatory remarks
The victim was distressed by his insults. She turned away from him, disengaging herself so that her superior could address him. Before he returned to the counter and threw two serving trays that missed the victim, he walked back to his seat and raged for a few minutes.
After yelling obscenities and derogatory remarks at her, he finally left the eatery. About an hour after the victim called the police to report a "raging" customer, Rishi was taken into custody.
Videos of him throwing the tip box and going on a rage were shown in court. As he yelled, they showed a large number of patrons standing in line and silently observing.
Ryan Lim, the deputy public prosecutor, requested a maximum penalty of S$5,000 along with four weeks in jail.
In order to stop the normalization of racist behavior, he requested the court to impose a severe penalty.
Additionally, he emphasized that the slurs were a part of a lengthy, "venomous" outburst that was filled with profanities. In front of young children, this occurred.
Reckless act of throwing tip box
Lim emphasized that Rishi's motivation for the reckless act of throwing the tip box was "unchecked hostility" toward the victim. He also told the court that Rishi had been imprisoned for three months in August for using fire to conduct harm.
Unrepresented by an attorney, Rishi admitted to the judge that he had made a mistake and that he had spoken "some things... in the heat of the moment." He said, as reported by CNA, "I should have just walked away instead of ... reacting so impulsively and disruptively."
"It seems that my first time in prison was not enough to change my attitude and my behaviour fully," he added.
District Judge Janet Wang stated in her sentencing that Rishi's offenses caused public unease and that the law acknowledges the necessity of safeguarding service personnel from mistreatment.
She added that Rishi had shown regret and seemed to have come to terms with his transgression.
According to the Protection from Harassment Act, using derogatory language that causes distress carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both. A reckless act carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
