There are fears for the health of a New Zealand man jailed in Singapore for touching a barmaid's breasts.
Sheep and beef farmer Jeffrey Bruce Shearer was jailed for six months after pleading guilty on November 10, NZME reports.
Shearer was on holiday, and was drinking when the incident occurred.
"It was all really innocuous," the family spokesman told NZME.
"Jeff is a bit of a convivial joker, he always likes to entertain, and he was pretty excited to be on holiday with his family.
"He was pulling change out of his pocket to pay the lady and she's waiting there. You can see him rummage around in his pocket for more money, and laughing with his father-in-law, and I know that he'll be joking, 'Don't be so mean', and he reaches out with the change and makes contact with her breast area.
"There was nothing lewd. It just looks like a dumb, inadvertent act."
The woman's angry husband arrived at the bar and police were called. Shearer was prosecuted for outraging the barmaid's modesty.
The court was told Shearer "continued to try and touch the woman, who fended off his attempts", the Strait Times reports.
He didn't contest the summary of facts that went before the courts, and pleaded guilty.
Shearer will spend at least four of the six-month sentence in a Singapore jail - and his family is concerned for his safety.
"He's a bit of a shambles," a spokesman told NZME.
"He's lost about 11kg through stress and his blood pressure is through the roof. He's never been involved in any legal issues before. It's a massive shock to him."
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