Brit dad facing six months in Singapore prison for not wearing mask on train

A British man could be jailed in Singapore after a video appeared on Facebook of him riding a train without a face mask.

Father-of-two Benjamin Glynn, 39, was secretly filmed by a fellow commuter without a face-covering near Raffles Place, the financial district of Singapore, on May 7.

It is mandatory to wear a mask when residents leave their homes, with very few exceptions, as part of Covid-19 regulations.

Mr Glynn, who does not believe in masks and would normally tell people he’s exempt from wearing them, was arrested by officers the next day after the clip was posted online.

After 28 hours in a cell he was charged with a public nuisance offence.

Mr Glynn, from Helmsley, North Yorkshire, claims officers said he faces up to six months in jail if found guilty.

His passport was confiscated, meaning he couldn’t return to the UK as planned with his partner and two children – aged five and two – who are now back in England.

He also lost a new job he was due to start in the UK and fears he could have to spend up to 12 months on bail before his trial.

Mr Glynn said: ‘This whole situation is ridiculous.

‘I want to leave the country anyway – just let me go!

‘I think it’s insane that I am facing a trial at all, just for not wearing a mask.’

He is now out of work because he was transferred to a position back in England, which has now been revoked.

Mr Glynn added: ‘It’s a horrible situation to be in when I don’t know when I can next see my family.’

His arrest papers confirm the charge and set his bail bond at $500 (£362).

A spokesperson for the Singapore Police said: “As information related to police investigations are confidential in nature, we are unable to comment further on the case.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is assisting him.

A FCDO spokesperson said: ‘We are assisting a British man who is awaiting trial in Singapore, and have been in contact with the local police about his case.’

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