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Man fined $5k over ruckus at Changi Airport after misplacing mobile phone

SINGAPORE - A man who caused a ruckus at Changi Airport Terminal 3 after he misplaced his mobile phone was fined $5,000 on March 20.

Briton Richard Michael Roll Burridge, 57, had pleaded guilty to one count of each of harassment and mischief.

The police said in an earlier statement that Burridge was [boarding a London-bound plane at the terminal on March 7](https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/man-allegedly-lost-phone-and-temper-at-changi-airport-handed-2-charges-over-causing-ruckus) when he realised that he had misplaced his mobile phone.

According to the police, Burridge left the aircraft as he wanted a look for the device at an airport lounge he had visited earlier.

An airline employee at the gate-hold room subsequently told him that lounge employees could not locate the phone there.

As it was close to the scheduled departure time of the flight, the woman also informed him that he would be offloaded from the plane if he were to leave the gate-hold room.

Burridge then used vulgar language to verbally abuse her.

As he walked away towards the aircraft, he kicked and damaged a wall panel of the aerobridge, causing more than $1,600 in damage.

He was eventually offloaded from the flight, and the police were alerted soon after.

On March 20, defence lawyer Shashi Nathan told the court that his client had acted out of character and is very sorry for what he had done.

The lawyer also said that Burridge intends to pay for the damage.

* Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.

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