Briton breached SHN and left hotel room to meet fiancee in her room

A Briton breached his stay-home notice (SHN) and sneaked out of his room at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore in Marina Bay to meet his then fiancee on another level.

Nigel Skea, 52, left his room on the 14th storey without wearing a mask on three occasions on Sept 21 last year.

On the third occasion, he walked up the stairs at about 2.20am to meet Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, a 39-year-old Singaporean, whose room was on the 27th storey.

Agatha was not serving a stay-home notice at the time.

The couple, who got married in November last year, pleaded guilty to Covid-19-related offences yesterday. They will be sentenced on Feb 26.

Skea admitted to an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act and another under the Infectious Diseases Act.

His wife pleaded guilty to an offence under the Infectious Diseases Act.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Kee said Skea had arrived at Changi Airport on Sept 20 last year and was issued with a stay-home notice.

The Briton then texted Agatha, who reserved a separate room at the hotel.

Shortly before 1am on Sept 21, Skea left his room without wearing a mask.

As part of his plan to meet Agatha, he scouted the hotel premises for a viable route that he could take to get to her room.

The DPP said: "The accused walked to the emergency staircase on level 14 and realised that access to it... could be opened only from his side. The accused then walked back to his hotel room at... 12.56am before realising that he was locked out."

Skea then called the hotel's reception for help. A staff member unlocked the door for him at 1.06am.

EMERGENCY STAIRCASE

The court heard that Skea left his room again at 2.22am and walked to the emergency staircase.

Before leaving, he used a piece of cardboard as a makeshift stopper to keep the room door slightly ajar so that he could re-enter his room.

He then went up to Agatha's room and they spent the night together.

He left at 11.13am but was unable to gain access to his level.

Defence lawyer S.S. Dhillon, representing the pair, told the court yesterday that his clients had endured a "long separation" before they were reunited last September.

They had made mistakes because of their "emotionally vulnerable state", the lawyer said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times