A 44-year-old American commercial pilot, Brian Dugan Yeargan, was sentenced to 4 weeks' imprisonment for breaching a Stay Home Notice (SHN) by spending three hours outside his accommodation.

This was after he pleaded guilty to the offence in court today, May 13, according to the Straits Times.

Yeargan had a previous guilty plea rejected by the court. This was due to him disagreeing with the prosecution's statement of facts, by stating that he did not receive a physical copy of the SHN.

There was no dispute over the fact that he had received an electronic copy, however.

What did Yeargan do?

Yeargan arrived in Singapore from Australia on April 3 and was issued a short-term visit pass valid for 30 days.

He was then served with an SHN for the period of April 3 to 17.

On April 5, he left his place of accommodation at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, took a train from Changi Airport MRT station to City Hall MRT station, and walked to Chinatown Point, where he visited four shops, spending five minutes at each shop.

He purchased a thermometer from one store and face masks from the other stores.

He then took a train back to his hotel, and received a call from his company, FedEx, telling him that he was not allowed to leave his hotel.

He spent approximately three hours outside.

Penalties for breaching SHNs

Those who breach SHNs are liable to prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act, and the maximum penalty is a fine of up to S$10,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both.

Others sentenced for breaching SHNs:

Top image by Nigel Chua