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British expatriate Benjamin Glynn, who was charged for not wearing a mask on multiple occasions, declared in court that laws did not apply to him, as he was "the living man" and "a sovereign".

The 40-year-old man, who was representing himself, appeared in court on Thursday (Aug. 5).

Although he repeatedly claimed that he was of sound mind, the judge eventually requested for him to be remanded in the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric evaluation, citing his behaviour in court to be a key reason for his decision.

Legal counsel not a practicing lawyer

When the court proceedings begun, the prosecution pointed out that Glynn's legal counsel was merely Glynn's bailor, and not a practicing lawyer in Singapore.

Previously, Glynn's legal counsel was not allowed into the State Courts as he was inappropriately dressed.

In response, the man who claimed to be Glynn's legal counsel said that he "did not need a license to practice", and claimed that he was here in court to defend his "sovereign" client.

He also claimed to be an "ambassador at large and advocate of Kingdom Filipina Hacienda".

The judge then reminded him that he had no local standing to represent Glynn, or any other individual in a criminal setting in Singapore.

He then asked the man, who introduced himself to the court as an advocate, to watch the proceedings from the gallery.

Glynn claims he is of sound mind

At the beginning of the trial, the prosecution requested for Glynn to be given psychiatric assessment, to ensure he is of sound mind, and capable of making his defence.

The prosecution added that they received a letter from friends and family of the accused, which claimed that they noticed a marked change in the behaviour of Glynn in recent months.

In response, Glynn said that his family and friends "did not understand the law" on the same level as he did, and that they assumed he was already guilty, and were simply trying to help him reduce his sentence.

He then accused the prosecution of not telling him what he has been charged with, despite having been formally charged on July 2 during a separate sitting.

"I can assure you, my mind is very sound. Every time I ask you hard questions, you shut me down," he said, directing his ire towards the prosecutor.

Glynn also pointed out that he visited IMH once, and that the staff did not think he was of unsound mind.

However, the prosecution countered this point, revealing that he was only at IMH for a triage assessment, and that he did not receive a detailed assessment of his mental state.

Claimed laws did not apply to him as he was a sovereign

During the trial, Glynn mentioned multiple times that he was "the living man", and "a sovereign", and that laws do not apply to him.

He also claimed that the "mask mandate", which was widespread in the U.S. and Europe was "unconstitutional", and that he knew this as he did his research.

"I don't get all my information from The Straits Times", said Glynn.

At this point, he got noticeably more heated, and began interrupting the prosecution, claiming that he was being slandered, and that he was of sound mind.

He also claimed that he is well-versed in the law, and knew better than the prosecutor.

"I've studied the law for hundreds and thousands of hours, I think I've a PHD. I think the gentleman (referring to the prosecutor) doesn't know what he's talking about," said Glynn.

Glynn repeatedly claimed that he was not guilty of any crime, and said that he was unlawfully arrested by the Singapore police.

He also said his "god-given unalienable rights to travel" was taken away from him, referring to his passport.

Would never plead guilty

Earlier on in the trial, Glynn claimed he had materials for the judge to read, which would help support his case.

When the judge asked for these materials, he said that he would rather speak to argue his point, and said that his materials were merely notes to help him speak.

He then said that his defence was "very solid and watertight", and claimed that he had notarised documents from "Her Royal Highness", and had a sovereign ID.

Glynn also repeatedly boasted about his knowledge of the law, claiming to "completely understand" a number of different disciplines, including natural law and trust law.

He then declared that he would "never plead guilty or not guilty", as laws did not apply to him.

Have to undergo psychiatric evaluation in IMH

After a long stretch of silence, the judge adjourned the proceedings to Aug. 19, and ordered Glynn to be given psychiatric evaluation in IMH for two weeks in the meantime.

He said that he could not simply accept Glynn's own assessment, and that there is reason to suspect that he is of unsound mind, due to his behaviour in court.

As the judge read out his decision, Glynn began shouting indiscriminately, claiming that he was sending an "innocent man" to prison, and that the ruling was "injustice".

At this point, a woman within the court began clapping, cheering on Glynn, before she was told to be keep silent by the judge.

Despite repeated calls by the judge to remain silent, Glynn continued to shout, claiming that anybody with an "inquisitive brain" is branded a psychiatric patient in Singapore.

When the judge tried to calm him down, he showed no signs of stopping, and took his frustration out on the judge.

"I am the living man, I have jurisdiction over you," he shouted.

After the judge left the courtroom, Glynn continued to shout as he was being escorted away by police officers, even claiming at one point that Singapore is "Lee Kuan Yew's political prison".

Background

On May 7, 2021, Glynn was travelling on the MRT between Raffles Place to Holland Village, when he was caught on video not wearing a mask.

He even declared that he would "never wear a mask", and turned down a member of the public who offered him a face mask.

In response to this incident, SMRT lodged a police report. In a subsequent interview with UK publication Daily Mail, Glynn revealed that he normally goes out without wearing a mask, and claimed that this incident was "the first time it has been an issue".

He also said that he normally told people that he was "exempt", and complained about being stuck in Singapore without his family.

On July 2, Glynn was charged with three charges of failing to wear a mask without reasonable excuse, public nuisance and using threatening words towards a public servant.

He arrived without wearing a mask, and only put on his mask outside the State Courts after being told to do so by court officers.

In court, the judge had to remind him twice to wear his mask properly, and when he was asked whether he intended to claim trial or plead guilty, Glynn told the court that he did not understand the options given to him.

On July 19, he was given a fresh charge for not wearing a mask within and outside the State Courts, and was remanded as a result.

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