Person Who Grabbed Ariana Grande at Premiere Prohibited from Singapore
An Australian man who jumped past a barrier and reached for actress Ariana Grande has been sent away and banned from Singapore.
The individual, aged 26, was sentenced to over a week in prison for being a public nuisance and has now been "prohibited from returning to Singapore," the country's border control informed news outlets.
The man shoved beyond security and approached aggressively the celebrity, who was present at the regional launch for the film on November 13. Co-performer Cynthia Erivo intervened to remove him from Grande.
He has a background of disrupting concerts and high-profile gatherings, including jumping on stage at the pop star's Australian show in June this year.
The incident provoked strong reactions in Singapore, with many saying he of triggering past trauma for the singer.
The singer has mentioned dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after a explosive incident at her performance in Manchester in May 2017 killed 22 individuals and hurt numerous attendees.
Throughout the court proceedings, the authorities learned he had tried to gain access on the film's premiere multiple times, according to local news sources.
He then made a second attempt to cross the barriers. Event security prevented him and held him in place.
The man subsequently shared videos expressing gratitude to the star for permitting his access and said he was "released."
Law enforcement detained him the following day and brought charges against him with disorderly conduct, to which the man admitted guilt.
The District Judge Christopher Goh was cited by media reports as stating that Wen was "attention seeking", commenting that he was incorrect to assume he would not face any penalties.
The singer has not spoken about the incident.
The co-star spoke about the situation to the press, stating that she "only aimed to verify my colleague was secure."
"I'm sure he didn't mean us danger, but you never know with such situations, and I sought to confirm that she was fine. That was my immediate response," she stated.
