Summary
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A 67-year-old Singaporean man was fined S$5,000 after leaving urine and faeces outside his neighbour’s Bukit Batok flat twice.
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Martin Chua Kim Soon pleaded guilty to two insulting behaviour charges under the Protection from Harassment Act.
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The 73-year-old neighbour called police after discovering the substances outside his flat on both occasions.
SINGAPORE: A tyre dispute in Bukit Batok ended with a S$5,000 fine after a man left urine and faeces outside his neighbour’s flat twice.
Martin Chua Kim Soon, 67, believed his 73-year-old neighbour had punctured his vehicle tyres. The neighbour was a lorry driver who lived in a block across from Chua.
Chua pleaded guilty to two counts of insulting behaviour under the Protection from Harassment Act, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported (Sep 22).
Bukit Batok neighbour targeted twice over tyre puncture suspicion
The first incident happened at about 2 a.m. on Apr 28. Chua went to the neighbour’s flat and left a mixture of urine and faeces outside the unit.
He returned at about 3:15 a.m. on May 4 and did the same thing again.
The neighbour discovered the substances and was alarmed enough to call 999 on both occasions. He told police that someone had left “smelly stuff” outside his flat. Chua was arrested on May 4.
S$5,000 fine paid after guilty plea
Chua was working as a private-hire driver for Tada when the incidents occurred. He lived in Bukit Batok Central and had no previous convictions.
The court fined him S$5,000 on Sep 22. He paid the full amount after pleading guilty. Chua didn’t make any oral mitigation before sentencing.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months’ jail, a S$5,000 fine, or both.
A neighbour dispute can quickly become a criminal matter
This case demonstrates how a personal suspicion can spill into conduct that crosses legal boundaries.
A disagreement over damaged tyres could have been handled through police reports or other lawful channels. Instead, the dispute led to repeated acts outside another resident’s home and eventually a criminal conviction.
Living close to neighbours means disputes can become uncomfortable fast. Keeping accusations within proper channels is still the simplest way to prevent a small disagreement from becoming a much bigger problem.
