A Singapore court has sentenced an Australian man to nine days in jail for grabbing Hollywood star Ariana Grande at a movie premiere. Johnson Wen, 26, was found guilty of being a public nuisance in the high-profile incident last Thursday at the Asia premiere for Wicked: For Good.
Videos posted on social media showed Wen jumping the barriers, charging at a visibly shocked Grande, and grabbing her shoulders while jumping up and down. The incident sparked outrage in Singapore where many called for the arrest and deportation of Wen, who has a history of disrupting concerts and celebrity events.
Several accused him of re-traumatising Grande. The pop star turned actress has spoken of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after a suicide bomb attack at her May 2017 concert in Manchester, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds.
Singapore media reported that in Wen's trial on Monday, the court heard he had attempted to intrude on the movie premiere twice. Moments after he grabbed Grande, her co-star Cynthia Erivo forcibly pried him off and security staff escorted him out. He then made a second attempt to jump the barricades. Security staff stopped him and pinned him down.
Wen later posted videos of the incident on his social media accounts thanking Grande and stating that he was free. Singapore police arrested him the next day and charged him for public nuisance, to which Wen pleaded guilty. Prosecutors sought a week's jail for Wen, arguing that he was a serial intruder who publicized his behavior to gain popularity online.
Wen has disrupted concerts by Katy Perry and The Weeknd, and invaded the pitch at various sporting events, leading to bans from some stadiums and incurring large fines. He was not represented in the Singapore court but told the judge he would not do it again. Under Singapore's laws against public nuisance, Wen could have faced up to three months in jail, alongside fines.
Grande has not commented on the case, continuing to appear at public events in Los Angeles, while Cynthia Erivo referenced the incident in relation to their experiences together in a recent interview.
Videos posted on social media showed Wen jumping the barriers, charging at a visibly shocked Grande, and grabbing her shoulders while jumping up and down. The incident sparked outrage in Singapore where many called for the arrest and deportation of Wen, who has a history of disrupting concerts and celebrity events.
Several accused him of re-traumatising Grande. The pop star turned actress has spoken of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after a suicide bomb attack at her May 2017 concert in Manchester, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds.
Singapore media reported that in Wen's trial on Monday, the court heard he had attempted to intrude on the movie premiere twice. Moments after he grabbed Grande, her co-star Cynthia Erivo forcibly pried him off and security staff escorted him out. He then made a second attempt to jump the barricades. Security staff stopped him and pinned him down.
Wen later posted videos of the incident on his social media accounts thanking Grande and stating that he was free. Singapore police arrested him the next day and charged him for public nuisance, to which Wen pleaded guilty. Prosecutors sought a week's jail for Wen, arguing that he was a serial intruder who publicized his behavior to gain popularity online.
Wen has disrupted concerts by Katy Perry and The Weeknd, and invaded the pitch at various sporting events, leading to bans from some stadiums and incurring large fines. He was not represented in the Singapore court but told the judge he would not do it again. Under Singapore's laws against public nuisance, Wen could have faced up to three months in jail, alongside fines.
Grande has not commented on the case, continuing to appear at public events in Los Angeles, while Cynthia Erivo referenced the incident in relation to their experiences together in a recent interview.
