Perth man could face caning after alleged drunken assault in Singapore
A Perth man could be facing jail time and a caning if convicted of four separate alleged incidents in Singapore, including a physical altercation with police at Changi Airport last month.
Video shows a man, believed to be Jason Peter Darragh, in a physical struggle with police as they attempt to arrest him.
It's been alleged he was drunk during the incident.
The video allegedly shows him arguing with two police officers who approached him, before he pushes one to the ground.
Security guards and members of the public try to help police apprehend the man before he is eventually dragged to the ground and arrested.
He was also accused of hitting one officer in the face and warning another: “You don’t come near me or I’ll break your face.”
He has been detained in Singapore on 11 charges including using criminal force against police at the airport, according to The Straits Times.
Mr Darragh’s alleged crime spree started in the departure hall at Changi Airport just after midnight on April 20, where he was accused of throwing a man’s mobile phone on the floor and swearing at him.
He was released on bail and, according to court documents, over the next 10 days was allegedly caught drunk twice, seen “causing annoyance” in public places and incapable of taking care of himself in a shopping mall bathroom.
He is also alleged to have verbally abused a police officer.
Murdoch University international law lecturer Lorraine Finlay said it was a serious situation, with the most serious charge of assaulting a public officer carrying a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment, a fine and caning.
“What does make this particularly serious, is they aren’t just single public nuisance charges taken in isolation — it seems to be a significant number of offences that have occurred over a longer period,” she said.
“If he was to raise, for example, the defence of intoxication... it is going to be very difficult to establish that give the length of time over which these offences occurred.”
Ms Finlay said Australia doesn't have an international prisoners’ transfer arrangement with Singapore so any Australian sentenced to jail in Singapore would have to serve the entire sentence there.
He is expected to appear in court on Friday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed yesterday that it was providing consular assistance to an Australian man detained in Singapore.
