Former Cheers employee on trial for allegedly making racist remarks, posting viral video of police officers on TikTok
Jonathan Ong Jun Jie, 30, outside the State Courts on Feb 26, 2024.
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- Jonathan Ong Jun Jie, 30, stands accused of three charges of harassment
- The former Cheers employee had allegedly made racist remarks towards a customer on Jan 1, 2023
- Ong also posted six videos on social media of his interactions with police officers, which purportedly showed the name of the police officer
- The videos went viral, with one garnering over six million views
- During the trial, he claimed that the man he had allegedly hurled racist remarks at was drunk at the time
BY LORAINE LEE
Published February 26, 2024
Updated February 26, 2024
SINGAPORE — A former Cheers employee who posted video clips on TikTok of himself arguing with police officers is on trial after pleading not guilty to three harassment charges on Monday (Feb 26).
The videos, which were uploaded on Jan 2, 2023, went viral with one of the video clips garnering more than six million views.
Jonathan Ong Jun Jie, 30, is contesting three charges which includes allegedly shouting racist remarks at a man, using abusive words against a police officer and publishing six videos on TikTok of his interactions with the police officer with the intent to cause harassment.
Dressed in a black shirt and jeans, Ong, who was unrepresented, grinned throughout the prosecution's opening statement and when the witness, Mr Namasivayam Jayapal, took the stand.
During his opening address, Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Da Zhuan told the court that Mr Namasivayam entered Cheers at Lau Pa Sat along Raffles Quay on Jan 1, 2023 at around 8pm to buy beer.
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When Mr Namasivayam brought cans of beer to the cashier, which was manned by Ong, he made small talk and asked if Ong was a foreigner.
"The accused then insulted Namasivayam by saying he was from Bangladesh and Chennai and that Jayapal was under his feet," said DPP Lee, who added that Ong's words made it "virtually certain" that Mr Namasivayam would be harassed.
In response, Mr Namasivayam cursed at Ong, before calling the police.
DPP Lee said that in response to the call, police Staff Sergeant Mohammad Firdaus Hassan and two other officers went to the Cheers outlet.
As Ssgt Firdaus entered the convenience store, Ong started a video recording of the trio on his mobile phone.
"At no point in time did Ssgt Firdaus consent to the accused's filming of him," said DPP Lee.
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"Prior to commencing his interview with the accused, Ssgt Firdaus asked for the particulars of the accused, but the accused refused to give them."
Ssgt Firdaus then warned Ong that there may be consequences for refusing to disclose his particulars and for recording a video of the police during ongoing investigations.
Ong, however, ignored these warnings and later uploaded his video in six different TikTok posts — two of which included the captions "SPF thug-like behaviour" and "Cop lying through his teeth".
DPP said that these words were "clearly rude and offensive" towards Ssgt Firdaus and that Ong intended to cause harassment towards him by posting the videos.
OPENING CONVERSATION WAS A 'FRIENDLY GESTURE'
Addressing questions from DPP Lee, Mr Namasivayam, a security officer, said he had asked Ong if he was a foreigner as a "friendly gesture".But when Ong said that Mr Namasivayam was under Ong's feet, Mr Namasivayam said he felt "very down, very embarrassed".
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#trending: Cheers convenience store employee criticised for uncooperative behaviour in viral videos showing argument with police
Mr Namasivayam, who is Singaporean, then cursed at Ong. He was given a warning letter for his behaviour.
Mr Namasivayam said Ong then showed him "some hand signs and tattoos". In response, Mr Namasivayam told Ong that he was a former police officer and that he would call the police.
In response, Ong left the cashier and put his hands behind his back, as if he was in handcuffs.
During the cross-examination, Ong asked Mr Namasivayam if he was drunk during the incident, to which he replied he was not.
Ong then claimed Mr Namasivayam was drunk as he had questioned if Mr Namasivayam was from India during the incident, and not Chennai as Mr Namasivayam had recounted while on the witness stand.
Mr Namasivayam responded that the incident happened "some time back" and he could not recall exactly the words used.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
If found guilty, Ong faces a jail term of up to 12 months or a fine of up to S$5,000, or both for each harassment charge.
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