LOCKED in a passionate embrace, their hands were all over each other.
Lost in their own private world, they kissed and snuggled, oblivious to the looks and stares of disapproving passers-by.
And they weren't even just stealing brief moments of intimacy. Those who have seen them say that some of their make-out sessions can last up to three hours.
A teenage couple swimming in a heady mix of puppy love, hormonal urges and youthful ardour? Not quite.
The pair of lovebirds caught deep in the throes of passion are believed to be in their 50s.
They are the latest in a string of adult couples whose public displays of affection have caught the public eye recently.
The site of their rendezvous for the past few months has been an open-air courtyard at Goldhill Plaza in the Novena area.
Without fail, they turn up around lunchtime twice a week, usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays, said shopkeepers in the area.
They sit on a stone ledge, in the shade of a large tree, and get hot and heavy with each other.
Obscene
At one point, the man, 58, even fondled the woman's left breast, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The woman, 50, was not passive. She was seen lowering her head towards the man's groin, according to the Chinese daily.
Never mind that many people, including families with young children, pass through the courtyard while they are there.
The couple are believed to be Singaporeans, reported Shin Min.
On Thursday, their public displays of affection so outraged a passer-by that he decided to expose them.
The man in his 50s tried to get them to stop what they were doing by pretending to talk on his mobile phone while sitting next to them, a fruit shop worker, who declined to be named, told The New Paper.
But the couple ignored him.
"He was so angry that he called the newspapers," said the worker in Mandarin. "He said it was so disgusting, especially at their age. Their ages combined would be more than 100!"
Her male colleague added: "At their age, they should know better."
When approached by a Shin Min reporter on Thursday afternoon, the couple said they were just friends.
So why choose a public courtyard as their love spot? Because they live nearby, they said.
Asked if anyone had found their behaviour excessive, the man said: "It's nothing much."
But the woman said: "Okay, okay, I know what you mean."
She said they would not get intimate at that spot again.
Workers at the shops which directly face the couple's hot spot in the courtyard certainly hope so.
Most sniggered when asked about the couple. The dominant reaction was one of disapproval.
Eyesore
"They're an eyesore," said Madam Teo, 65, who works in a laundry shop in the row of shophouses.
"If you actually see what they're doing, you'll get goosebumps," she added with a shudder.
Madam Teo said that when the couple first appeared a few months ago, their behaviour was not such a turn-off.
"They were still okay at first, holding hands and talking. They kissed, but not like what they're doing now," she said. "But they just got worse and worse."
She said office workers who frequented the courtyard during their lunch breaks would cut them a wide berth. "The office workers sit around them, but far away, to give them their 'privacy'", she said.
And they didn't let the lunchtime crowds douse their passion.
"I don't know whether they're attention seekers. They're not shy. They just carry on doing what they're doing," she said.
This, she felt, was "improper behaviour" and "inappropriate". She added: "What you do in the privacy of your bedroom is up to you, but not when you go public with it."
Moreover, she said, many young children pass through the courtyard as the area has a number of enrichment centres.
Lawyer Luke Lee said that what the couple did would be considered indecent behaviour, which is an offence under the miscellaneous offences (public order and nuisance act).
"Indecent behaviour is anything that affronts the moral decency of a member of the public," said Mr Lee.
"This definition lends itself to a wide interpretation, which means that it depends on the prevailing moral standards of the society."
And this differs based on the country one is in. Greater public intimacy may be acceptable in the more liberal Western countries, but not in Singapore, he said.
Similarly, different standards exist in countries like Iran and others in the Middle East.
Mr Lee said that in Singapore, the police are likely to deal with such incidents on a case-to-case basis.
And the fact that the couple's acts occurred in a public space makes them liable to criminal prosecution, he said.
This applies even if you're in a private area, but your actions can be viewed by those in a public space.
"Even if you're in your flat, but your neighbours can see what you're doing, it's an offence," he said.
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Lost in their own private world, they kissed and snuggled, oblivious to the looks and stares of disapproving passers-by.
And they weren't even just stealing brief moments of intimacy. Those who have seen them say that some of their make-out sessions can last up to three hours.
A teenage couple swimming in a heady mix of puppy love, hormonal urges and youthful ardour? Not quite.
The pair of lovebirds caught deep in the throes of passion are believed to be in their 50s.
They are the latest in a string of adult couples whose public displays of affection have caught the public eye recently.
The site of their rendezvous for the past few months has been an open-air courtyard at Goldhill Plaza in the Novena area.
Without fail, they turn up around lunchtime twice a week, usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays, said shopkeepers in the area.
They sit on a stone ledge, in the shade of a large tree, and get hot and heavy with each other.
Obscene
At one point, the man, 58, even fondled the woman's left breast, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The woman, 50, was not passive. She was seen lowering her head towards the man's groin, according to the Chinese daily.
Never mind that many people, including families with young children, pass through the courtyard while they are there.
The couple are believed to be Singaporeans, reported Shin Min.
On Thursday, their public displays of affection so outraged a passer-by that he decided to expose them.
The man in his 50s tried to get them to stop what they were doing by pretending to talk on his mobile phone while sitting next to them, a fruit shop worker, who declined to be named, told The New Paper.
But the couple ignored him.
"He was so angry that he called the newspapers," said the worker in Mandarin. "He said it was so disgusting, especially at their age. Their ages combined would be more than 100!"
Her male colleague added: "At their age, they should know better."
When approached by a Shin Min reporter on Thursday afternoon, the couple said they were just friends.
So why choose a public courtyard as their love spot? Because they live nearby, they said.
Asked if anyone had found their behaviour excessive, the man said: "It's nothing much."
But the woman said: "Okay, okay, I know what you mean."
She said they would not get intimate at that spot again.
Workers at the shops which directly face the couple's hot spot in the courtyard certainly hope so.
Most sniggered when asked about the couple. The dominant reaction was one of disapproval.
Eyesore
"They're an eyesore," said Madam Teo, 65, who works in a laundry shop in the row of shophouses.
"If you actually see what they're doing, you'll get goosebumps," she added with a shudder.
Madam Teo said that when the couple first appeared a few months ago, their behaviour was not such a turn-off.
"They were still okay at first, holding hands and talking. They kissed, but not like what they're doing now," she said. "But they just got worse and worse."
She said office workers who frequented the courtyard during their lunch breaks would cut them a wide berth. "The office workers sit around them, but far away, to give them their 'privacy'", she said.
And they didn't let the lunchtime crowds douse their passion.
"I don't know whether they're attention seekers. They're not shy. They just carry on doing what they're doing," she said.
This, she felt, was "improper behaviour" and "inappropriate". She added: "What you do in the privacy of your bedroom is up to you, but not when you go public with it."
Moreover, she said, many young children pass through the courtyard as the area has a number of enrichment centres.
Lawyer Luke Lee said that what the couple did would be considered indecent behaviour, which is an offence under the miscellaneous offences (public order and nuisance act).
"Indecent behaviour is anything that affronts the moral decency of a member of the public," said Mr Lee.
"This definition lends itself to a wide interpretation, which means that it depends on the prevailing moral standards of the society."
And this differs based on the country one is in. Greater public intimacy may be acceptable in the more liberal Western countries, but not in Singapore, he said.
Similarly, different standards exist in countries like Iran and others in the Middle East.
Mr Lee said that in Singapore, the police are likely to deal with such incidents on a case-to-case basis.
And the fact that the couple's acts occurred in a public space makes them liable to criminal prosecution, he said.
This applies even if you're in a private area, but your actions can be viewed by those in a public space.
"Even if you're in your flat, but your neighbours can see what you're doing, it's an offence," he said.
[email protected]
