4 Britons in unlawful gathering on Lazarus Island fined $3,000

They receive the same sentence given to the other eight who were with them last August

From left: Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull and James Riby Oram Trimming. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG
Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan (above), Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull and James Riby Oram Trimming. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
From left: Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull and James Riby Oram Trimming. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG
Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, Joshua Adam Roth (above), Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull and James Riby Oram Trimming. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
From left: Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull and James Riby Oram Trimming. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG
Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull (above) and James Riby Oram Trimming. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
From left: Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull and James Riby Oram Trimming. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG
Convicted British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull and James Riby Oram Trimming (above). ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

The last four members of a 12-person group that spent a day on Lazarus Island last year, in breach of Covid-19 rules, were fined $3,000 each yesterday.

British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, 31; Joshua Adam Roth, 31; James Riby Oram Trimming, 31; and Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull, 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of meeting others for a non-permitted purpose and without reasonable excuse under the Covid-19 regulations.

The other eight people were earlier fined $3,000 each. They are William Edwin Dunford, 32; Richard Henri Lagesse, 31; Lowri Mair Jeffs, 31; Zoe Louise Cronk, 30; Jeff Richard Alexander, 32; Luong Thi Thu Ha, 31; Natalie Joanna Sarkies, 29; and Paul Jonathon Gold, 32.

All of them are British nationals except for Sarkies, who is a Singaporean, and Ha, who is a Vietnamese.

Their trip took place during phase two of Singapore's reopening, when groups of no more than five people were allowed to meet outside their homes for social purposes.

The court heard that at about 11am on Aug 8 last year, the group took a ferry to St John's Island before walking to the beach on Lazarus Island. They spent the day there before taking a ferry back to mainland Singapore at about 6pm.

Lazarus Island is located south of the Singapore mainland, and a man-made causeway connects it to St John's Island.

Sarkies posted photos of the trip on Instagram, and the trip was reported on various media platforms.

Sullivan, Roth and Lee-Bull were represented by lawyer Shafiuddin Ong, who had originally represented Trimming as well, before being discharged.

Trimming represented himself and expressed remorse for his actions.

Mr Ong said his clients were sorry for their actions and "with the benefit of hindsight, realise the severity of their actions".

He asked that the fines be reduced from the sentences in cases cited by the prosecution that occurred during the circuit breaker period, since the gathering happened during phase two of Singapore's reopening.

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh reiterated that there should be no difference in the sentencing of offences committed during and after the circuit breaker, as the regulations still serve the common purpose of guarding against an outbreak of Covid-19.

District Judge Ong Luan Tze agreed with the prosecution and said that it was "fair and appropriate" for the four accused to receive the same sentence as the previous eight.

For breaching a Covid-19 regulation, they could each have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 25, 2021, with the headline 4 Britons in unlawful gathering on Lazarus Island fined $3,000. Subscribe