A British man is set to be deported from Singapore after he refused to wear a mask in public, a crime that originally saw him sentenced to six weeks in prison.
According to Singaporean news outlet Channel News Asia (CNA), 40-year-old Benjamin Glynn was found guilty on four charges relating to his refusal to wear a face mask on a train in May and again at a subsequent court appearance.
Due to his conduct, a judge had ordered that Glynn be subjected to a psychiatric assessment, but he was not found to have any diagnosable mental disorder.
When appearing in court on Wednesday, Glynn reportedly demanded that the “unlawful charges” against him be dropped and that his passport be returned to him. Throughout his legal proceedings, Glynn represented himself, with his argument apparently centered around his ardent belief that the face mask law should not apply to him.
District Judge Eddy Tham was reported as saying Glynn was “completely misguided” in his apparent belief that Singaporean laws do not apply to him.
“It’s not open to him to say he is above the law,” Tham said, according to CNA.
“I’m a man of God, no man puts any fear into me. … Hopefully I will be in the book of life, and it’s scary how there’s total disregard for common law in Singapore, because you are not my master and I am not your slave,” Glynn said when given a chance to address the court.
However, CNA reports that Glynn was released from custody on Thursday with his sentence backdated to July. He has been handed over to authorities for deportation.
Glynn had been remanded at a prison from July 19 to Aug. 4 and then at the Institute of Mental Health from Aug. 5 to 18. Authorities told CNA that Glynn has been permanently banned from working in Singapore, with his work pass from his previous employer having already been canceled.