Ex-Cheers employee jailed for harassment after posting TikTok videos of dispute with police officer
Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
February 13, 2025
A former Cheers convenience store employee was sentenced to 10 days' jail and a fine of $4,000 on Feb 13 for harassment, after he recorded on video his dispute with a police officer.
Jonathan Ong Jun Jie, 31, recorded the incident at a Cheers outlet at Lau Pa Sat hawker centre in Raffles Quay in January 2023. Video clips of the dispute went viral that year.
The Singaporean will have to spend an additional eight days behind bars if he fails to pay the fine.
In 2024, District Judge Teoh Ai Lin convicted him of three harassment charges after a trial.
Two other charges, involving Ong's failure to report to a police officer during an investigation, were taken into consideration during his sentencing.
During a trial on Feb 26, 2024, Singaporean security officer Namasivayam Jayapal testified that he went to the Cheers outlet at around 8pm on Jan 1, 2023, to buy beer. Ong was manning the cashier's counter at the time.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Da Zhuan stated in submissions: "Jayapal, for the purposes of being friendly, engaged in small talk with the accused by asking the accused if he was a foreigner."
Ong did not look happy with the question and commented that the security officer was from Chennai or Bangladesh, according to the prosecution.
During the trial, the court heard that Ong had also said that Mr Jayapal was "under his feet".
Mr Jayapal testified that Ong's words made him feel "very down" and he responded by hurling a vulgar word at Ong.
An argument broke out and Ong stepped out from behind the counter.
Mr Jayapal testfied: "(Ong) showed signs and tattoos... (saying) 'I finish work at 11 o'clock. If not happy, we can meet up'."
Mr Jayapal alerted the police and left the store. He told the court that he later received a warning letter for his behaviour that day.
The police officers who arrived at the scene included Staff Sergeant Mohammad Firdaus Hassan.
DPP Lee said: "The accused took out his mobile phone and started to video-record (the incident). At no point in time did Staff Sgt Firdaus consent to the accused's filming of him."
Before interviewing Ong, Staff Sgt Firdaus asked for his particulars, which he refused to give. The officer warned Ong that failing to do so could result in consequences.
Court documents stated that Ong later uploaded his video clips of the incident on social media platform TikTok.
Two of the videos had the captions "SPF thug-like behaviour" and "Cop lying through his teeth". The videos were circulated by other netizens.
The prosecutor told Judge Teoh: "To insinuate that police officers are behaving like thugs, which is the direct opposite of what a police officer ought to do, should be considered rude and offensive.
"This is especially so if the insinuation were untrue. To insinuate further that a cop is 'lying through his teeth', when found to be untrue, ought also be considered as rude and offensive as well."
Ong also published information about the identity of Staff Sgt Firdaus with the intention of causing harassment to him.
During the trial, the officer testified that he was "insulted and in shock" when information about his identity was posted online without his consent.
Ong was not represented by a lawyer, and the prosecutor said he had "concocted a litany of bare assertions in his defence".
Among other things, Ong claimed that he did not use abusive words on Mr Jayapal, and that they were merely having a "peaceful" chat.
He also claimed that he felt as though Staff Sgt Firdaus was going to "manhandle" him.
Stressing that this claim was unfounded, DPP Lee said: "The accused himself agreed that Staff Sgt Firdaus did not 'manhandle' him... (The officer) explained that he was simply trying to grab the accused to effect an arrest as the accused failed to provide his particulars despite being warned to do so multiple times.
"It was only when the accused provided his NRIC that Staff Sgt Firdaus relented and made the decision not to arrest the accused... Staff Sgt Firdaus did not use any violence."
Ong's allegation that the officer had acted like a thug is therefore without merit, said DPP Lee.
