Briton jailed for breaking Singapore’s strict quarantine rules

Nigel Skea also handed a £535 fine after scaling emergency staircase to visit fiancée in hotel

British national Nigel Skea arrives at a court in Singapore on 26 February, 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)

A British man has been jailed for two weeks in Singapore after breaching coronavirus quarantine rules to visit his then-fiancée. 

The judge also ordered Nigel Skea, 52, to pay a S$1,000 (£535) fine for leaving his hotel room three times on 21 September. 

Mr Skea visited his partner Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, who was also staying at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore hotel, but was not self-isolating.

According to the charge sheet, one of his visits involved climbing an emergency staircase to get to Ms Eyamalai’s room.

For abetting him, Ms Eyamalai was sentenced to one week in prison. The couple, who got married in November, pleaded guilty and will not appeal the sentences, according to their lawyer.

Prosecutors had asked the court to jail Mr Skea for four weeks and to give him a fine, while his defence lawyer said a fine or a one-week jail term would be sufficient “to give him a slap on a wrist”.

Singapore requires most arrivals to quarantine in hotel accommodation for two weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Those self-isolating receive meals and have to record their temperatures regularly.

Breaches of the rules can be punished with jail terms of up to six months and fines of up to S$10,000 (£5,350).

As a result of the city-state’s strict quarantine system and its contact-tracing programme, there are only a handful of new local Covid-19 cases each day.

Singapore has so far recorded 59,900 coronavirus infections and 29 deaths, according to data from John Hopkins University.

Additional reporting by Reuters