Man who peed at Potong Pasir MRT station blames alcohol addiction, says he's seeking help
Andrew Wong
The Straits Times
February 26, 2025
A man felt the urge to urinate while he was on the way home on the train after consuming alcohol.
He alighted the train at the next station, but instead of using the station's toilet to relieve himself, he urinated in front of the passenger service centre at Potong Pasir MRT station.
On Feb 26, Zhou Hongwei, was handed a $2,000 fine for causing public nuisance.
The 57-year-old had been drinking in Chinatown on Jan 13, before boarding the North East Line train towards Punggol Coast to return to his home in Sengkang.
He alighted just seven stops later at Potong Pasir after feeling the urge to urinate and walked to the passenger service centre before relieving himself at around 7.30pm.
He stopped only when the staff manager at the station spotted him.
During his mitigation, Zhou admitted to having a problem with alcohol addiction and that it was his consumption on the day that had resulted in the offence.
He said he has since signed up with a non-profit organisation to receive help with his addiction. Zhou also said that he has returned to Potong Pasir station to apologise to the staff.
On Jan 14, a Chinese national was fined $2,000 after urinating on the handrail of an escalator at Outram Park MRT station.
And on Jan 15, Soo Fook Khan, 53, was charged with urinating at the platform of Tanah Merah MRT station on Jan 8. His case is fixed for a pre-trial conference on March 20.
Those found guilty of being a public nuisance can be fined up to $2,000.
For committing an act of public nuisance and knowing that this act would cause annoyance to the public, an offender can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $2,000, or both.
