A 54-year-old man, who was caught on camera hurling profanities at a Shashlik Restaurant staff at Orchard, was handed a S$5,000 fine for using abusive words and another S$500 fine for using criminal force on Jan. 8, 2024, CNA reported.

The S$5,000 fine was the maximum amount that could be meted out to convicted individuals under the Protection from Harassment Act.

Two other charges were taken into consideration for the sentencing of the man, Greg Austin Lynn, which included intentionally causing harassment and refusing to sign a police statement, according to Today.

The sentencing for Lynn came after he accepted the charges on Monday morning despite his initial decision to contest all of them and claim trial.

What happened

The court heard that the incident took place on Jan. 18, 2023, after Lynn called the restaurant to ask about its last order timing at around 8:30pm.

In response, the restaurant owner, surnamed Tan, told him it would be 9pm.

Lynn became annoyed when Tan later called him again to emphasise the last order timing, and he paid a visit to the resturant approximately 10 minutes past 9pm.

When Tan told Lynn that the kitchen was closed, Lynn became enraged and began engaging in an altercation with Tan.

At one point, Lynn also pushed Tan in the chest, causing the latter to lose his footing, reported CNA.

As Lynn continued unleashing his frustrations and even began hurling vulgarities at Tan, the latter asked his staff to alert the police.

Lynn had another outburst after other patrons tried to intervene

At the time of the incident, a few individuals tried to intervene in the situation, which included an off-duty police officer who took Lynn to a table and sat with him.

However, when another diner confronted Lynn, Lynn began yelling the following statements, which could be heard from the footage that was widely circulated online in June 2023:

"I will drop every f**king last one of you.

Now, f**k off! And back the f**k off!

I will close your establishment down, and I will f**k every family member you've got from here to China, you little b**ch.

Because I own China too! F**k you!"

Lynn's account of the incident

In response, Lynn said he experienced some back-and-forth with Tan prior to his arrival because Tan kept telling him that his reservation had been cancelled, even though he had never made one.

Lynn tried to arrive at the restaurant before the last order timing to check out the restaurant and its menu, as he was looking for a venue to host a party for the Ukraine-Russia war.

After the altercation, Lynn claimed he remained at the restaurant because he had asked its staff to call the police and believed the police could help with the situation.

To support his claims, Lynn pointed to his acts of sitting at a table, waiting for the menu, and conversing with the off-duty police officer, reported CNA.

Lynn offered to make restitution to Tan

After the prosecutor sought a S$5,000 fine for his harassment charge, citing that the incident took place at a public space where children were present, Lynn decided to chime in.

He went on to state that he was willing to pay the fine amount while further offering to make a S$3,000 restitution to Tan, as he considered his actions "unforgivable", reported Today.

He also told the court that he was still figuring out the reason for his outburst on the day of the incident, theorising that it could be culture shock, miscommunication, or timing.

Lynn added that he would appreciate being placed on probation for six months or doing community service instead of having a criminal record registered under his name.

In response, the prosecutor objected to Lynn's suggestion of probation and stated he would not make a formal application for Lynn to make the restitution.

Lynn eventually paid the fine.

The judge stressed that Lynn's racially charged comments would not be tolerated in Singapore.

Top images via Mothership reader