A man who urinated at a police officer while under arrest was jailed eight months and two weeks on Friday (6 July).

Balasubramaniam Thevathas, 34, pleaded guilty in the State Courts to two charges of using criminal force and one charge of using abusive words against a public servant.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Joanne Leong told the court that Balasubramaniam got into a taxi along Orchard Road in the early morning of 27 April last year after drinking with his friends.

Balasubramaniam asked for a change in his destination several times and became hostile towards the taxi driver. Fearing trouble, the driver drove to Tanglin Police Division for help from the police. Balasubramaniam paid the driver, who then drove away.

While Senior Station Inspector Mazelan Selemat was attending to Balasubramaniam, the latter paced back and forth, saying that he was unfairly treated.

When Mazelan advised him to go home, Balasubramaniam got agitated and aggressively pressed his nose against the police officer’s nose. He then hurled profanities at Mazelan, prompting the officer to arrest him.

Balasubramaniam was brought into the report lodging room at Tanglin HQ by another officer, Senior Staff Sergeant Kwan Chee Weng. While in the room, Balasubramaniam pulled down his shorts and started urinating towards Kwan and another police officer.

The officers quickly moved aside and one of them managed to pull up Balasubramaniam’s underwear. However, Balasubramaniam pulled his underwear down before urinating again and directing it at Kwan, some of which landed on the officer.

Balasubramaniam’s actions were “disrespectful and highly demeaning,” said DPP Leong. Noting that Balasubramaniam was jailed in 2016 for punching a police officer, the prosecutor asked for at least eight months and two weeks’ jail to be imposed on him.

For using criminal force on a police officer, Balasubramaniam could have been jailed up to four years, or fined, or both.