SINGAPORE: A man admitted on Friday (Sep 6) to leaving a toy grenade attached to a bag full of old toys at the exit of an MRT station near Hong Lim Park to cause alarm to protesters.
Ho Hee Hew, a 59-year-old driver, pleaded guilty to one charge of using threatening behaviour likely to cause alarm, under the Protection from Harassment Act.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe court heard that Ho had been cycling in the area of Clarke Quay MRT station on the afternoon of Sep 16, 2017, when he stopped at the steps outside Exit A of the station.
He went through a brown bag containing a plastic box of old toys, which he had found elsewhere earlier, and removed some items, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran.
He looked around to see if anyone was watching, before throwing the bag away near the wheelchair ramp leading to Exit A of Clarke Quay MRT Station, the exit nearest to Hong Lim Park.
At the time, about 800 people were at a protest at Hong Lim Park against the reserved presidency, said the prosecutor.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe protest had taken place the weekend after President Halimah Yacob was sworn in. She had been declared President-elect as she was the only person to qualify for an election that was reserved for members of the Malay Community.
Ho left the scene and the station master of Clarke Quay MRT Station activated officers from the Transcom unit of the Singapore Police Force after the unattended bag was spotted.
EXIT CLOSED FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES
The station exit was closed for about 15 minutes, causing inconvenience to 20 passengers, said the prosecution.
Transcom officers found that the bag did not threaten public safety, and no disturbance was caused to the protesters, the court heard.
Ho, whose actions were recorded on closed-circuit television footage, was later arrested.
He said he had disagreed with the intention of the protesters and had left the bag there to cause alarm and to force the protesters to leave the area.
The prosecutor asked for the maximum fine of S$5,000 to be imposed, saying that there was a higher level of culpability as Ho intended to alarm the protesters and force them to leave.
Ho's defence lawyer asked for a S$1,500 fine instead, saying there was minimal disruption caused, with only 20 passengers stopped from using the exit, and no disturbance to the Hong Lim Park protesters.
The prosecutor responded that had public alarm been caused, there would have been mass panic among the 800 people at the park.
Ho will return to court for mitigation and sentencing on Oct 1.
For his actions, he could be fined up to S$5,000.
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