A British businessman who mocked the poor has
fled Singapore after receiving death threats and losing his job as a
wealth fund manager.
Anton Casey caused an uproar in the country after posting a series of
abusive photographs on Facebook where he called a local taxi driver a
"retard" and referred to commuters as "the poor".
The former City
stockbroker was last seen on Friday morning boarding a Singapore
Airlines flight en route to Perth, Australia, with his wife, a former
Miss Singapore and his five-year old son in economy class.
In an email to Singapore national daily The Straits Times,
Casey said he hopes to make amends with the people of Singapore and
return to the country one day, which he still considers his home.
He
added: "I hope the people of Singapore will allow me to volunteer my
time and resources to community projects in order to make amends for my
mistakes.
"I also hope the people of Singapore, my adopted home,
will forgive me over time… Singapore is our home, and we hope to return
when we feel safe."
He described the incident as "the worst mistake of my life".
Outlook: Expat who mocked the poor in Singapore is by no means unique
Casey's employer, Crossinvest Asia, has also announced it has
"parted ways" with the banker with immediate after it launched an
internal investigation over his inappropriate remarks.
Anton Casey has apologised after causing an uproar in Singapore where he mocked "poor people" and a taxi driver
In a statement, the firm said:" The online comments made by Mr
Casey do not represent the culture that we have built over many
years. Accordingly, Crossinvest Asia and Mr Casey have parted ways with
immediate effect."
Crossinvest acknowledged that Casey's comments
had caused "great distress among Singaporeans", who blasted his
behaviour on social media and called for his immediate deportation.
Porsche-driving Casey had spent 12 years in the country. His wife and son are Singapore citizens.
Last
week, the financier issued a separate statement where he apologised for
his "poor judgement" and described Singapore as a "wonderful country"
after the photographs where he mocked locals went viral.
British expat banker Anton Casey causes uproar in Singapore after mocking 'poor people' calling a taxi driver a 'retard'
In one post, Casey shared a picture of his son sitting on a
train on Facebook with the caption: "Daddy, where is your car & who
are all these poor people?"
Another photo showed the five-year-old
in his Porsche, with an equally offensive caption: "Ahhhh reunited with
my baby. Normal service can resume, once I have washed the stench of
public transport off me."
In a separate Facebook post, Casey insulted a local cabbie for wearing a towel on his lap and hand warmers while driving.
He
added: "Today's cabbie retard award goes to...Mr Arm Warmers, stripy
mittens & towel on the lap man....After all, it's only 37c outside."
He tried to change his Facebook name to Anson Casey but ultimately deactivated the account to stop the abuse.
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