Person That Grabbed Ariana Grande at Red Carpet Event Banned from Singapore
An individual of Australian nationality who vaulted over a barricade and reached for Hollywood star Ariana Grande has been expelled and prohibited from Singapore.
Johnson Wen, aged 26, was given a sentence to over a week in detention for disrupting public order and has now been "barred from re-entering Singapore," the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority told news outlets.
He forced his way past photographers and rushed toward the celebrity, who was attending the regional launch for the film on November 13. Co-star Cynthia Erivo intervened to remove him from Grande.
Wen has a history of interrupting performances and celebrity events, including jumping on stage at a Katy Perry performance in Sydney in the past June.
The event caused anger in Singapore, with many claiming he of triggering past trauma for the singer.
The celebrity has mentioned experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after a explosive incident at her show in Manchester in May 2017 took the lives of 22 people and injured hundreds.
In the legal process, the judge was informed he had tried to gain access on the red carpet event twice, according to local news sources.
He then made a another effort to cross the barriers. Security staff prevented him and held him in place.
Wen later posted videos appreciating the celebrity for letting him on the carpet and said he was "at liberty."
Law enforcement took him into custody the following day and brought charges against him with disorderly conduct, to which Wen pleaded guilty.
The District Judge the judicial official was cited by media reports as stating that he was looking for publicity, commenting that he was incorrect to assume he would not face any penalties.
The singer has not addressed the incident.
The co-star spoke about the incident to a media outlet, remarking that she "just wanted to ensure my friend was protected."
"I believe he didn't intend us harm, but you never know with these incidents, and I aimed to make sure that she was fine. That was my immediate response," she stated.
