An expatriate who referred to commuters on public transport as "poor people" in his Facebook post has apologised on Tuesday in a statement sent to the press.

British national Anton Casey, who is married to former Miss Singapore Universe Bernice Wong, added that he and his family had received death threats and that he had exercised "poor judgment" in his earlier comments.

In a statement issued through Fulford Public Relations, he said: "I would like to extend a sincere apology to the people of Singapore."

Mr Casey, who apparently drives a Porsche, added: "In the past 24 hours due to a security breach of my personal Facebook page and the misuse of an old video by unknown sources, my family and especially my Singaporean son have suffered extreme emotional and verbal abuse online."

The online roasting started following the circulation of a couple of Mr Anton Casey's Facebook posts which sported insensitive comments. A YouTube video of him in what seemed like a taunting response to his detractors, was also blasted by netizens.