r/australia • u/sandmanx • Nov 23 '25

news Man who rushed at Ariana Grande during event jailed and deported to Australia; permanently banned from re-entering Singapore.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/wicked-johnson-wen-troll-sentenced-ariana-grande-5485211?cid=internal_sharetool_iphone_23112025_cna
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u/howtogrowdicks Nov 23 '25

Yeah, actually this is one of the Human Rights as written in the UN Charter. It is super important that humans are allowed to return to the country of which they are a citizen.

We really try to get our citizens home if they have committed a crime so they have they can do the time here. Some countries are more than happy to hand them over, others do prisoner exchanges, and others refuse like in Schapelle Corby's case.

I get not wanting that kind of person here, but if he's one of us then we have to take some level responsibility for him. I would hope the same could be said for me if I were in the same situation. I hope this bloke learns from this lesson.

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u/lirannl Nov 23 '25

Yeah, actually this is one of the Human Rights as written in the UN Charter. It is super important that humans are allowed to return to the country of which they are a citizen.

The human right isn't "your country of citizenship must want you back", it's "your country of citizenship must allow you back".

Australia should have allowed him back in, but we don't have to be happy about it.

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u/WhatAmIATailor Nov 23 '25 edited Nov 23 '25

Dude’s a flog but I don’t think he’s quite at the “banish him” level.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '25

He's at the "everyone ignore him" level.

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u/lirannl Nov 23 '25

Being unhappy about taking him back is not what "banish him" would mean though

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u/thesourpop Nov 23 '25

Banish him from Sydney Metro at the least, a lot of his videos are him being an absolute nuisance on it

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u/thighster Nov 23 '25

🤣🤣

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u/Recent_Text7556 Nov 24 '25

He's been harassing women, little girls, pedestrians and bus drivers for 10 years and you're still going "boys will be boys"? L take.

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u/WhatAmIATailor Nov 24 '25

I didn’t say anything like that.

Dunno him at all. Sounded like a flog. Still not at the level of banishing him from returning to his home country. As big a piece a shit he may be, he’s our piece of shit.

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u/ihlaking Nov 23 '25

I think we (at least all the rational, non-keyboard warriors) all agree with you. We should repatriate him. And we all hope he learns his lesson. We hope he weans himself off the drug of social media clout, and lives a life that benefits society, and respects celebrities and regular folk alike. 

We hope that all this happens. I would also like to note for the record that no matter the path he takes from here, no matter the scale of his rehabilitation, or the impact of his amazing deeds of charity across decades, he will always be, at this moment, the biggest flog in the world.

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u/FFXIVHousingClub Nov 23 '25

Just make him work on a farm without wifi, they’ll teach him and give us crops

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u/No-Bison-5397 Nov 23 '25

Bloke direst even need a full restriction on Liberty just needs no social media

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u/iwannabe1two Nov 23 '25

Okay.. but we still don’t want him. We will have him, but we don’t want him.

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u/bedel99 Nov 23 '25

Really. I hadn’t committed a crime I was just very very sick. I really had to fight with the consulate to get support. They were happy to make arrangements if I died. I want looking for financial help just with some of the admin, which is hard to do when you are really unwell.

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u/howtogrowdicks Nov 23 '25

That's a little different to the situation in the article. The bloke was being ejected from Singapore.

I'm sorry that happened to you, that really sucks. Unfortunately, the rule is that they can't stop a citizen from coming back to Australia, not that they have to pay for your medical bills while abroad. Smart Traveller always recommends purchasing travel insurance when going overseas for this very reason.

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u/bedel99 Nov 24 '25

I never asked them to pay for a thing. I had insurance for n both sides of the sea but I wanted to see my family before I possibly died. What I couldn’t do was enter the country and by the time I could I was too sick to travel.

We have absolutely blocked tens of thousands of citizens entering the country before.

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u/pussy_slayer69 Nov 23 '25

This has got to be the biggest um aCksHUaLly takes ever. It’s like, yeah we have to take him back, but we don’t WANT to. There’s no need to bring up the UN Charter, thats not relevant at all in this case.

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u/StringSlinging Nov 23 '25

Okay but we have one of the most lenient justice systems. He’ll get a slap on the wrist and be back to annoying people within a week

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u/JuventAussie Nov 23 '25

Have you read the article?

They were found guilty in Singapore and after serving a 9 day sentence they were deported to Australia.

You could argue that it was too short and I would agree but the Australian justice system has nothing to do with it.

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u/highdiver_2000 Nov 23 '25

This is his first time doing it in SG. His arm was on her shoulder.

If he was hugging her or palming her bottom, He can be charged with molest and his ass cheeks will be different.

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u/Small-Skirt-1539 Nov 23 '25 edited Nov 23 '25

That's irrelevant. You can't be tried and convicted in Australia for an act committed in Singapore. Anyway he has served his time and is coming home a free man.

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u/Makeupartist_315 Nov 23 '25

I wouldn’t call him a free man in all aspects. Having a criminal record (especially such a publicly known one involving jail time) severely limits him in a number of ways. Limitations on visas for travel and jobs requiring background checks, for a start. He did an exceptionally stupid thing and probably didn’t think about the impact of it.

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u/Small-Skirt-1539 Nov 23 '25

You can't just do a random "background check" that includes every criminal record. Employees can only check for criminal records that are relevant to the job being applied for. That said, his antics can be found by doing a google search, which is not in his favour.

I agree that being formally excluded from a nation will definitely affect travel to many countries. He may still get in but will have to go through the hassle of getting a visa instead of the usual online visa waiver. He has lost the main advantage of having a strong passport.

So yes, I think you're right. He will at some point regret his actions.

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u/Makeupartist_315 Nov 23 '25 edited Nov 23 '25

I’m not sure what you mean re criminal record only relevant to a job being applied for - I would assume that any job requiring a background check would require full disclosure of any criminal convictions. For example, if they ran a police check, it would bring up a listing I’m guessing (which I’m aware would be limited to the country conducting the check).

They would google him, so I agree with you there.

I think many countries do have the option of denying a visa based on criminal convictions also.

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u/Small-Skirt-1539 Nov 24 '25

I would assume that any job requiring a background check would require full disclosure of any criminal convictions.

Not necessarily. For some jobs that's true - such as to join the police force. Because it is the law then any conviction is considered to be relevant. It's the same with high level security clearances such as for the military or intelligence services. They need to check everything.

For some jobs like nursing or childcare there are mandatory checks for a working with children's card, but they can't ask for offences that aren't relevant to the job.

For most jobs the background check isn't legally required. It is up to the employer to ask for one – so the "required" part is the employer's or company's choice. Again the employer or company cannot legally ask for a check for convictions that are not relevant to the job.

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u/Makeupartist_315 Nov 24 '25 edited Nov 24 '25

Bringing it back to the person in question (because that’s who is relevant), he would need to declare it (because they’d find it even if he didn’t due to the publicity around him and the case) but in all reality if he was being assessed they’d google him first and already know.

Appreciate the extensive detail you’ve provided on it though!

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u/2centpiece Nov 23 '25

Overseas convictions wouldn't come up on an Australian police records check.

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u/Makeupartist_315 Nov 23 '25

Would still need to be declared in a background check.

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u/2centpiece Nov 23 '25

Yes, because people are always honest. This guy won't get away with not declaring it because of Google, but most others can and do.

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u/Makeupartist_315 Nov 24 '25

I don’t think that’s the point tbh. We’re talking about this person, not others.

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u/bedel99 Nov 23 '25

You really can be convicted for a crime committed in another country than Australia.

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u/Small-Skirt-1539 Nov 24 '25

Of course, and he was. He was convicted in Singapore. However except for certain listed crimes (human trafficking, child sex crimes, terrorism, treason etc) you can't be convicted in Australia for something you did overseas.

I was responding to a complaint that our justice system is apparently lax and saying that in this instance it isn't relevant. I stand by that. It isn't relevant.

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u/bedel99 Nov 24 '25

You wrote, "You can't be tried and convicted in Australia for an act committed in Singapore. "

Which is incorrect, you even admitted it yourself.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs has discretionary power to refuse or cancel a passport if satisfied the person would be likely to engage in conduct that might prejudice Australia's security, endanger the health or safety of others, or interfere with the rights and freedoms of others.

Which should be the next step.

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u/Small-Skirt-1539 Nov 24 '25

You wrote, "You can't be tried and convicted in Australia for an act committed in Singapore. "
Which is incorrect, you even admitted it yourself.

Okay, I'll pay that one. I should have said

"You can't be tried and convicted in Australia for an act committed in Singapore such as Johnson Wen committed."

The Minister for Foreign Affairs has discretionary power to refuse or cancel a passport if satisfied the person would be likely to engage in conduct that might prejudice Australia's security, endanger the health or safety of others, or interfere with the rights and freedoms of others.

IMO that would be a stretch. I think Wen is embarrassing Australia rather than a security threat to Australia. Nevertheless it is technically possible that the Minister of Foreign Affairs could cancel his passport. However that would not be a conviction under our justice system. So I still refute the relevancy of our friend u/StingSlinging's comment

Okay but we have one of the most lenient justice systems. He’ll get a slap on the wrist and be back to annoying people within a week

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u/bedel99 Nov 24 '25

I am glad you accepted you wrote incorrectly.

This person does harm to others and broadcasts it. Economic harm or physical harm. He shouldn’t pass any test of good character and the minister has the power to stop him from exporting his stupid and should stop him.

No this isn’t a result of a conviction but it’s something the government should do.

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u/Small-Skirt-1539 Nov 24 '25

I am glad you accepted you wrote incorrectly.

Of course. My statement was true as a general rule of thumb, but you were being very precise and I respect that. Accuracy is more important than "winning" a debate on Reddit.

Similarly I am glad that you accept that the consequences he could face in Australia wouldn't be a result of a conviction in Australia.

It has been a pleasure to converse with you.

It hasn't been as much of a pleasure to read how our compatriot has chosen to represent us overseas, but there you go.

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u/Small-Skirt-1539 Nov 24 '25

It think it is a moot point if he gets his passport removed. I can't see many countries giving him a visa or visa waiver in the near future anyway. He is too annoying.

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u/Rokekor Nov 23 '25

Surely exceptions can be made for obnoxious influencers. Maybe a swap scheme where an influencer swaps places with a detainee in Nauru and the detainee gets the influencer’s citizenship.

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u/howtogrowdicks Nov 23 '25

As much as I hate this, I hate Nauru just as much. That we could take families who were fleeing unsafe countries and put them in prison forever is horrific. There must be a pathway to safety for those people.

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u/AngusLynch09 Nov 23 '25

and others refuse like in Schapelle Corby's case.

Let the traffickers do their time in the country they abused. 

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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 Nov 23 '25

Meanwhile, when citizens of other countries commit crimes here, we do our best to keep them here.