Until 2020, people who had been caught breaking the law reacted in two ways:
- Admitting guilt
- Denying any involvement
But then came along the Sovereign Lady of Shunfu, who famously proclaimed “I’m a Sovereign… I’m not a person”, meaning the laws didn’t apply to her.
Unfortunately for her, the outside world didn’t exist only in her head, and she was later sentenced to two weeks in jail.
That should have been the end of that, but then this year, a male Sovereign emerged from the wilderness, wandering into several MRTs without a mask.
Finding it “ridiculous” that he was arrested for not wearing a mask, Benjamin Glynn, a Briton, chose not to plead guilty.
And in court today (5 Aug), the 39-year-old proudly confirmed his allegiance to the Sovereign movement.
Maskless British Man Claims to be ‘Sovereign’ in Court; Says He Will Never Plead Guilty
Instead of owning up to his crimes, Glynn went on a weird rant that would have even impressed Donald Trump.
In his rant, he accused the police of abducting and kidnapping him twice and called the case a “sham”.
He said he had studied “hundreds and thousands” of hours of the law, and felt like he was a PhD law lecturer dealing with a GCE student when speaking to the prosecution.
Most notably, he proclaimed that he was a “sovereign man”.
“I got sent to Changi Prison for 18 days when the charges did not apply to me because I am a living man, I am sovereign.. he said, adding that “the only place living men have to wear mask is in their workplace under a contract,” Glynn said.
As you know, this is just not true. Also what about women? Doesn’t he know the first Sovereign here was female?
Glynn also asked the prosecution if they had seen his “sovereign ID”, whatever the heck that is.
He said he understood the law “better than anyone you’ve ever dealt with before” and demanded to be released and sent back to England with his family.
“Why have the mask regulations been dropped all over America and Europe? Because they are unconstitutional. I don’t get my information from the Straits Times,” he added.
Glynn is facing four charges for failing to wear a mask without reasonable excuse, public nuisance, and using threatening words towards a public servant, but he has no intention to admit guilt.
“I will never plead guilty or not guilty. I can’t believe this has been going on since the 8th of May,” the 39-year-old said.
“It’s so straightforward it’s so clear that this sham of a case should be dropped.”
What Did He Do?
For those who don’t remember, Glynn went viral in a video after refusing to wear a mask on the MRT on his way home from work.
Several commuters urged him to wear a mask, but he refused.
Why?
The Briton believes that masks are “pointless” in protecting people from contracting COVID-19. Plus, in his mind, the whole pandemic is a “hoax”.
Well, it’s good to see that all his beliefs are backed up by scientific evidence.
In an earlier court hearing on 2 July, when Glynn was asked if he wanted to plead guilty or not, he replied that he did not understand the options.
That was likely the point when everyone in court went bald from pulling their hair out.
Unregistered Lawyer Denied Entry Into Court
Glynn chose a man named Mr Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman as his lawyer, one of many bad decisions made since he was arrested.
See, Mr Abdul was not registered as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court, and thus was not allowed to represent Glynn.
Mr Abdul told the judge that he was “ambassador-at-large and advocate of the Kingdom Filipina Hacienda in Singapore” and that he came to court to defend his “sovereign patriot Benjamin Glynn”.
He asserted that he did not need a licence to practise law.
These two would make a great couple.
Of course, this wasn’t true, which is why Mr Abdul had to remain in the audience gallery.
Sovereign: “My Mind is Very Sound”
During the trial, Glynn interrupted the prosecution several times.
At one point, when the prosecution advised that Glynn be assessed to determine if he’s of sound enough mind to defend himself, Glynn said:
“I assure you my mind is very sound. Every time I ask you hard questions, you can’t answer me, you shoot me down. What law have I broken? I asked you three times the last time, you gave me silence, silence, silence.”
The judge heeded the prosecution’s call, ordering Glynn to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health.
Man’s Family Said He Has Become “Increasingly Hostile” Lately
The prosecution said they received a letter, purportedly from Glynn’s family, saying they’ve noticed a “marked change” in his behaviour, especially after COVID-19 restrictions were imposed.
The prosecutor added that Glynn’s family members have reported his “increasing hostility” towards them.
When he heard this, Glynn said: “The certificate of vaccine regulations do not apply to the living man and I’m well aware of this fact.”
Yes… that’s not irrelevant at all.
So, What’s a Sovereign?
Ever since the Sovereign Lady of Shunfu appeared in our WhatsApp group chats, many people have wondered: what exactly is a sovereign?
The sovereign-citizen movement, believed to have originated in the US, dictates that its adherents are immune to laws, which includes coronavirus restrictions.
The FBI has described the group as “domestic terrorism”, calling followers “anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or ‘sovereign’ from the United States”.
The ideology is believed to have been conceived in the 1970s by an anti-governmental group with anti-Semitic views, who believed the government was controlled by Jews.
The ideology has since spread to Canada, Australia, the UK, Ireland, and more recently, Singapore.
Great.
Sovereigns actually believe that there’s a legal way to remain outside the jurisdiction of the legal system, which is why they don’t believe the laws apply to them.
The first Sovereign, however, ended up pleading guilty, presumably thanks to good legal counsel.
If Glynn is assessed to be of sound mind and is found guilty of his charges, he could face up to six months in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both for breaking COVID-19 rules.
Using threatening words against a public servant carries a penalty of up to 12 months imprisonment, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
And if convicted of being a public nuisance, Glynn faces a stint in jail for up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.
As you know, pleading guilty is often seen as an indication of remorse, and taken into account as a mitigating factor when the court is determining the appropriate punishment.
In time, Glynn could come to regret his decision to not plead guilty.
Glynn: How could I plead guilty to non-existent charg-
Oh shut up.
Read Also:
- ‘Sovereign’ Woman Who Refused to Wear Masks Sentence to 2 Weeks’ Jail
- Maskless British Man Filmed in MRT Train is an ‘Anti-Masker’ & Finds This ‘Ridiculous’
Featured Image: Facebook (Keefe Chan); Youtube (The Straits Times)