Mr Harry Birtwistle is a Singapore Citizen who had stayed in Singapore and also carried a Singapore passport. Under the Enlistment Act, all male Singaporeans are required to serve National Service (NS) at age 18 or older. Mr Birtwistle's parents applied to renounce his Singapore Citizenship. His applications were rejected as renunciation should not be used as a means to evade NS duties. In his family's correspondences with the Ministry of Defence, they had stated that Mr Birtwistle will not be registering for NS.

Since then, Mr Birtwistle failed to register for NS as required. He is also staying overseas without a valid Exit Permit. Mr Birtwistle has committed offences under the Enlistment Act.