Man fined for patting poll worker’s hand after singing song to her during 2023 presidential election

SINGAPORE: A man was fined S$500 (US$378) by a court on Wednesday (Oct 30) for stroking the hand of a polling agent while waiting to cast his vote for the 2023 presidential election.

Wickramasinghe Ashley Anura, a 51-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to using criminal force against the 31-year-old female poll worker.

The court heard that the victim was a primary school teacher who had been assigned as chairman of a polling station in Geylang on September 1, 2023.

Singaporeans went to the polls that day to cast their votes for three candidates: Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who ultimately won with 70.4 percent of the votes; Mr Ng Kok Song, former Chief Investment Officer of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC; and Mr Tan Kin Lian, former CEO of NTUC Income.

Wickramasinghe had gone to the polling station with his girlfriend around 9:30 am on September 1, 2023 to cast their vote.

He was led to a counter manned by the victim, where he was assigned a ballot.

The victim, whose identity is protected by a gag order, noticed that Wickramasinghe smelled of alcohol.

She read out his full name and Wickramasinghe broke into song as he maintained eye contact with the victim.

This made the woman feel uncomfortable.

Wickramasinghe reached out and caressed the woman’s hand.

The victim quickly withdrew her hand and the interaction was witnessed by a senior polling station chairman, who told Wickramasinghe to stop.

Wickramasinghe let go and replied, “Wow, safety.”

Police were called and arrested Wickramasinghe, who later admitted he was drunk when he touched the victim’s hand.

He has no previous convictions.

CONVICTION ARGUMENTS

The prosecutor sought a fine of S$500, which she said was in line with other cases.

Although his touching was more fleeting than in a previous case, the action was against a public servant performing her duty, which is an aggravating circumstance, the prosecutor said.

Wickramasinghe’s lawyer, Mr Jared Lee of Regent Law, asked for a fine of not more than S$500.

He said his client is truly remorseful, has fully cooperated with authorities and this is his first brush with the law.

Wickramasinghe is “unmarried and remains alone” and “contributes financially to his elderly parents”, according to Lee.

To prevent such incidents from happening again, Wickramasinghe has started taking an opioid blocker before consuming alcohol, which blocks the pleasure one experiences from consuming alcohol, the lawyer said.

Wickramasinghe regrets his behavior, which caused “unnecessary stress” to his family and the victim, Lee said.

The judge noted that the incident took place at a polling station and involved a polling station. She also noted Wickramasinghe’s behavior – how he burst into song and “replied mockingly” when told to stop, in addition to being drunk.

However, she also noted his early guilty plea and mitigating circumstances.

She demanded a fine of S$500, with two days in jail if he did not pay.

Wickramasinghe paid the fine in full.

The penalties for using criminal force are imprisonment for up to three months, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both.