‘You are Israeli, I'll kill you': Briton charged over threats, crew assault on Singapore Airlines flight from London
According to Channel News Asia, Steven George Harris faces four charges: criminal intimidation, using insulting words to cause harassment, and two counts under the Air Navigation Act over his alleged conduct involving two crew members on flight SQ309 on April 28.
Court documents allege Harris shouted slurs at fellow passengers, including racist and anti-Semitic remarks.
At one point, he reportedly told a man, 'You are Israeli, **** off, I'll kill you.'
He also allegedly pushed a crew member twice — causing the person to fall — and insulted a second crew member, saying, 'You are just a glorified bar man.'
The incidents are said to have occurred between 5.15pm on April 27 and 6.20am the following day.
Harris indicated a not guilty plea in court, and the case has been adjourned to next month.
If convicted, he faces up to five years' jail and a S$100,000 (RM330,000) fine for disorderly behaviour towards crew, with additional penalties for the other offences.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
14 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
UK pensioner, student arrested for backing Palestine Action
More than 200 people were arrested last month for joining a protest in support of Palestine Action LONDON : Pensioner Marji Mansfield never imagined she would end up suspected of terrorism for protesting against the banning of a pro-Palestinian group. But the British grandmother was arrested on July 5 for joining a demonstration in support of Palestine Action just days after it was added to the UK government's list of proscribed organisations. 'It's a terrible shock to be accused of potentially being a terrorist,' said Mansfield, 68, who described herself as a 'proud grandmother' of seven. She 'was never politically interested', the former banking consultant from the southern town of Chichester told AFP. 'I just worked hard, raised my family, lived an ordinary life.' In early July, the UK government banned Palestine Action under the UK's Terrorism Act, after activists broke into an air force base in England and damaged two aircraft. Since then, the campaign group Defend Our Juries has organised protests around the country to challenge the ban, described as 'disproportionate' by the United Nations rights chief. More than 200 people have been arrested, according to Tim Crosland, a member of Defend Our Juries. They risk prison sentences of up to 14 years. British police today said they had charged two men and a woman over the July 5 protest, adding that they were sending files on the 26 other people arrested that day to prosecutors. A new demonstration in support of the group, which was founded in 2020, is planned on Saturday in London. Organisers expect at least 500 people to turn up, and police have warned all demonstrators could face arrest. People 'don't know what the nature of this group is', interior minister Yvette Cooper has said, claiming that 'this is not a non-violent group'. But Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has launched a court bid to overturn the ban and a hearing is set for November. Some 52 scholars, including well-known authors Tariq Ali and Naomi Klein, backed the bid in an open letter published in today's Guardian, calling the ban an attack on 'fundamental freedoms of expression, association, assembly and protest'. 'Not terrorists' Israel's campaign to eradicate Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 people. (EPA Images pic) Mansfield has long supported the Palestinian people, but the start of the current war, sparked by Hamas's attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, galvanised her into action. 'When it started happening again… it was the most horrible feeling, that children's homes were being blown up, that their schools were being destroyed,' she said. Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's subsequent campaign to eradicate the Palestinian resistance group in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which are deemed reliable by the United Nations. For Mansfield, the Palestine Action ban was the final straw, fuelling her feelings that the government was silencing her political views. The night before attending the July demonstration, Mansfield said she was 'terrified'. But she did not change her mind. Images on British media showed her being moved by several police officers after she refused to get up from the pavement. An 83-year-old woman was by her side. Mansfield spent 12 hours in custody, and is now banned from parts of London, meaning she cannot visit some museums with her grandchildren as she would like to do. 'It was just ordinary people,' said Mansfield. 'We came from all backgrounds… we're not terrorists.' 'Civil liberties' Alice Clark, a 49-year-old doctor, also does not regret attending the protest where she was arrested in London on July 19. 'Nobody wants to be arrested. I just feel that there's a responsibility,' said Clark, who also accused the government of undermining 'our civil liberties'. Cooper said the ban on Palestine Action was 'based on detailed security assessments and security advice'. The ban says the group's 'methods have become more aggressive' by encouraging members to carry out attacks which have already caused millions of pounds in damage. But Clark, a former volunteer for medical charity Doctors Without Borders, said she felt 'growing disgust and horror' at the images of starving children in Gaza. The 12 hours in custody after her arrest were a shock. If convicted, she risks losing her licence to practice medicine. 'There were points where I was close to tears. But I think just remembering why I was doing it kind of helped me keep calm,' said Clark. History student Zahra Ali, 18, was also arrested on July 19, before being released under supervision. None of the three women has been charged. She is also appalled by the scenes from Gaza. 'The starvation in Gaza, it's disgusting. And our government isn't doing anything about that,' she told AFP. Imagining herself in prison at 18 is 'a big thing', but 'if people who are in their 80s can do it, then I can do it', Ali said. She also does not describe herself as an activist, but as 'a normal person… who decided that what our government is doing is wrong'.


The Star
15 hours ago
- The Star
Australia's privacy regulator sues Optus over 2022 data breach
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front the word "Cybercrime" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo (Reuters) -An Australian regulator has sued Optus, alleging the Singapore Telecommunications-owned carrier breached privacy laws during a 2022 cyber attack that compromised the personal data of millions of customers, both parties confirmed on Friday. Optus, one of Singtel's largest overseas investments, said in a statement that the Australian Information Commissioner (AIC) has accused the telecom operator of violating the Privacy Act 1988. The Privacy Act governs how personal information is handled by government agencies and private entities. The proceedings have been filed against Singtel Optus Pty Ltd and Optus Systems Pty Ltd, Australia's Optus said. The AIC is alleging one breach of the law for each of the 9.5 million customers affected by the data breach, with the court potentially able to impose fines of up to A$2.2 million per breach. However, the privacy watchdog did not provide details on the total amount it is seeking. Optus said it is reviewing the claims but has not assessed the potential financial impact. The September 2022 breach, one of the worst in Australia's history, exposed sensitive customer data including home addresses, passport details and phone numbers. About 10 million Australians, or 40% of the population, were affected, with many unable to access mobile, broadband and landline services for much of the day. The incident prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to call for tougher privacy laws, including faster breach notifications to banks. Optus has faced mounting public criticism, compounded by a 12-hour nationwide network outage in 2023. The twin crises led to the resignation of then-CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin in November 2023. The company was also taken to court by the domestic media regulator in May 2024 over the cyber attack. (Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)


Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
S'pore court reserves judgment on death row inmate's post-appeal bid
P Pannir Selvam was given the mandatory death penalty on May 2, 2017, after being convicted of importing 51.84gm of diamorphine into Singapore. (Facebook pic) SINGAPORE : Malaysian death row inmate P Pannir Selvam gained reprieve when the Singapore Court of Appeal reserved its judgment following the second hearing on his post-appeal application today. The Singapore home affairs ministry's policy on the scheduling of executions came under scrutiny during the proceedings, as Pannir's counsel and the Attorney-General's Chambers addressed the content of affidavits they submitted after the first hearing on May 7. At the initial hearing, the court observed that Pannir's request for a stay of execution – pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings arising from his complaint to the Singapore Law Society – rested fundamentally on the principle that the ministry's policy on execution scheduling must be applied equally to all. His lawyers argued that the policy applied to him differed from an earlier policy, thereby violating his right to equal treatment under Article 12 of the Constitution. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who led a five-member bench, said Article 12 does not prohibit a state agency from changing its policy. 'Article 12 applies by looking at the current legislation, the current statute, or the current policy, and asking yourself whether that policy is being applied in a way that is unfairly discriminatory,' he said. Pannir's counsel, Ng Yuan Siang, argued that the ministry had not provided an explanation for the differing application of its policy between state and non-state proceedings. He submitted that the ministry's approach to preserving a prisoner's life had changed. Previously, executions could be delayed if a prisoner's testimony was needed in any legal case. Now, the ministry says delays are only considered if the testimony is needed in a state-led case. 'There have been no reasons provided by the ministry as to why this differential treatment between a state and a non-state proceeding is reasonable,' Ng said. In response, deputy senior state counsel Terrence Chua said the distinction exists because state-brought proceedings are, by definition, in the public interest. 'It goes beyond the interest of an individual PACP (prisoner awaiting capital punishment), whereas the PACP cannot claim to represent public interest in their private applications. 'But even then, I pointed out in my affidavit that state-brought applications are still assessed on a case-by-case basis,' he said. The court said if the applicant can show the policy can cause an unfair distinction between two people between whom there is no rational difference, he may be entitled to a ruling that the policy offends Article 12. The proceedings, which lasted over an hour, ended with Menon saying the court would reserve its judgment. Seated in the dock wearing a purple-coloured prison uniform, Pannir appeared calm throughout the proceedings, which was also attended by his siblings who had arrived from Malaysia earlier today. The hearing marks the latest chapter in Pannir's ongoing legal battle against his death sentence. He was convicted by the High Court on May 2, 2017, of importing 51.84gm of diamorphine into Singapore, and was given the mandatory death penalty. Pannir filed an appeal, which was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Feb 9, 2018. With his family and legal team, he submitted petitions for clemency to the president of Singapore, who subsequently declined to commute the sentence. Pannir and his family were informed that he would be executed on May 24, 2019. He then filed another application to the Court of Appeal, seeking a stay of execution on grounds that he intended to challenge both the rejection of his clemency petition and the public prosecutor's decision not to issue a certificate of substantial assistance. The court granted this application on May 23, 2019. Following this, he filed several other judicial review applications. Pannir received another notice of execution on Feb 16, 2025, for a scheduled execution on Feb 20. He then filed for permission to make a post-appeal application in a capital case (PACC), seeking a stay of execution, which was granted on Feb 19. Judge of the appellate division Woo Bih Li said the stay was granted pending the determination of his PACC application. Singapore's PACC Act, which came into effect in June 2024, allows prisoners awaiting capital punishment to make post-appeal applications, which can only be heard by the Court of Appeal.