Person Who Grabbed Ariana Grande on the occasion of Premiere Prohibited from Singapore
An Australian man who vaulted across a fence and reached for Hollywood star Ariana Grande has been expelled and banned from Singapore.
The man, aged 26, was sentenced to nine days in detention for being a public nuisance and has now been "barred from re-entering Singapore," the country's border control told local media.
He forced his way beyond security and approached aggressively the actress and singer, who was participating in the regional launch for the musical adaptation on November 13. Co-star Cynthia Erivo pulled him back from Grande.
Wen has a history of causing disturbances at events and high-profile gatherings, including leaping onto the platform at Katy Perry's Sydney concert in the past June.
The event sparked outrage in Singapore, with numerous people claiming he of causing further distress to the star.
The singer has spoken of suffering from PTSD after a suicide bomb attack at her performance in Manchester in spring of 2017 took the lives of over twenty people and hurt numerous attendees.
During Wen's trial, the authorities learned he had made efforts to breach on the film's premiere on two occasions, according to Singaporean media.
He then made a another effort to jump the barricades. Security staff prevented him and pinned him down.
The man subsequently shared video clips expressing gratitude to the star for permitting his access and said he was "released."
Authorities detained him the following day and brought charges against him with causing a disturbance, to which Wen pleaded guilty.
The District Judge Christopher Goh was referenced by media reports as saying that Wen was "attention seeking", noting that he was wrong to assume he would not experience repercussions.
The singer has not spoken about the incident.
Erivo mentioned the situation to a media outlet, stating that she "just wanted to make sure my co-star was secure."
"I believe he didn't intend us harm, but you can't predict with these incidents, and I aimed to make sure that she was alright. That was my first instinct," she said.
