Man fined for stroking poll worker’s hand after singing to her during 2023 presidential election

SINGAPORE: A man was fined S$500 ($378) by a court on Wednesday (Oct 30) for stroking the hand of an election official while waiting to vote in the 2023 presidential election.

Wickramasinghe Ashley Anura, a 51-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to one count of using criminal force on a 31-year-old female polling station employee.

The court heard the victim was a primary school teacher who was assigned to be the Geylang polling station chairperson on September 1, 2023.

That day, Singaporeans went to the polls to cast their votes for three candidates: Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who ultimately won with 70.4 percent of the votes; Mr Ng Kok Song, former chief investment officer of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC; and Mr Tan Kin Lian, former chief executive of NTUC Income.

Wickramasinghe went to the polling station around 9:30 am on September 1, 2023, with his girlfriend to vote.

He was taken to the counter where the victim stood, where he was to be given a ballot.

The victim, whose identity is hidden under a gag order, noticed Wickramasinghe smelled of alcohol.

She read him his full name and Wickramasinghe began to sing the song while maintaining eye contact with the victim.

This made the woman feel uncomfortable.

Wickramasinghe then reached out and stroked the woman’s arm.

The victim quickly removed his hand and the scene was observed by the senior presiding officer at the polling station, who ordered Wickramasinghe to stop.

Wickramasinghe let go of his hand and replied, “Wow, security.”

Police were called and arrested Wickramasinghe, who later admitted he was drunk when he touched the victim’s arm.

He has no criminal record.

SENTENCE ARGUMENTS

The prosecution had sought a fine of S$500, which it said was in line with other cases.

Although his touch was more fleeting than in the previous case, the act was directed at a government employee performing his duties, which is an aggravating factor, the prosecutor said.

Wickramasinghe’s lawyer, Jared Lee of Regent Law, sought a fine of not more than S$500.

He said his client is truly remorseful, is cooperating fully with authorities and this is his first brush with the law.

Wickramasinghe is “unmarried, lives alone” and “helps his elderly parents financially”, Mr Lee said.

To prevent similar incidents from happening again, Wickramasinghe began taking an opioid blocker before drinking alcohol, which blocks the pleasure a person feels when drinking alcohol, the lawyer said.

Wickramasinghe regrets his behavior, which caused “unnecessary stress” to his family and the victim, Mr Lee said.

Judge noted that the incident occurred at a polling station and involved an election commission employee. She also noted Wickramasinghe’s behavior – the way he started singing and “responded mockingly” when told to stop, in addition to being drunk.

However, she also noted his early guilty plea and mitigation measures.

She imposed a fine of S$500 with the possibility of two days’ imprisonment if he did not pay.

Wickramasinghe paid the fine in full.

Penalties for using criminal force include imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both.