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| Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai and Nigel Skea both admitted breaking the rules (Photo by=Reuters) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] A Briton has been sentenced to two weeks in prison and a S$1000 fine ($753; £539) for breaking Singapore's quarantine rules by leaving his hotel room to visit his fiancée. Nigel Skea, 52, walked up an emergency staircase to spend the night with Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, 39, in September. The couple is now married.
Eyamalai was also given a week's prison sentence. Earlier this month, Skea had pleaded guilty to one charge of contravening a control order and one failing to wear a face mask. Court documents said Skea had left his quarantine room at the Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore Hotel three times to visit Eyamalai, who had booked a room in the same hotel despite living in Singapore. Eyamalai admitted a single charge of conspiring to contravene a control order. The court heard Skea walked up 13 flights of stairs to spend the night with Eyamalai, who opened an emergency exit door for him.
Their lawyer said the couple had mixed feelings about the sentence but that they were pleased it was less than what the prosecution sought. Singapore requires people to spend 14 days in a hotel upon arrival. Singapore has been one of the most successful countries in tackling the pandemic despite a big outbreak among low-income migrant workers.
