SINGAPORE: A teenager who was nabbed by the police after engaging in dangerous behaviour when he trespassed onto MRT train tracks was ordered by a court on Tuesday (Jan 6) to undergo probation for 18 months.
The now 17-year-old Singaporean, who cannot be named as he is under 18, was caught after SMRT lodged a police report upon seeing a video showing a first-person view of someone walking on the tracks.
Investigations later revealed that he had trespassed onto the train tracks between Simei and Tanah Merah MRT stations and climbed to the rooftop of a Housing Board block.
When he heard the police calling for him, the teenager climbed down several floors using ledges and laundry racks, and broke into the home of an 86-year-old woman to hide.
He will also have to perform 80 hours of community service, attend all psychiatric or psychological assessments and treatment, and comply with medication as necessary.
His parents furnished a bond of S$5,000 (US$3,905) to ensure his good behaviour during the probation period.
The boy had pleaded guilty in November to one count under the Rapid Transit Systems Act of wilfully endangering safety, and one count of trespass. Another two charges were considered in sentencing.
The teen had noticed two scaffolding structures leading to the train tracks at Upper Changi Road in January 2025.
A few months later on Mar 27, he waited for workers to leave the scaffolding area before trespassing through a gap in a fence.
He walked on the train tracks, filming a passing train and staying on the tracks for up to 10 minutes, watching four to six trains pass by.
The teen later posted videos of the train on Instagram, one of which was picked up by an Instagram account and went viral.
SMRT lodged a police report over the video, and investigations revealed another incident involving the HDB block-climbing in May 2025.
The teen had "felt the urge to climb" before showering, so he left his unit at about 11pm on May 16, 2025, dressed only in underwear and shoes.
From the 16th floor, he tried to climb onto the rooftop.
A man who resided in the block heard noises from the corridor and saw the teen leaning on the parapet ledge. Feeling scared, the man called the police and noticed that the teen was on the ledge trying to climb to the roof.
The teen climbed up to the rooftop, where he listened to music and made video calls. When he heard the police shouting for him, he walked to the other end of the rooftop and climbed down using ledges and laundry racks.
When the teen noticed bystanders and police officers on the ground floor, he entered a flat on the eighth floor through an open window to evade arrest.
He hid under the bed, where an 86-year-old woman was sleeping and had not noticed him.
He surrendered to the police of his own accord half an hour later.
The prosecutor on Tuesday noted that the teen was found suitable for both probation and reformative training, and left the sentence to the court.
However, she flagged that the reports disclosed his propensity for thrill-seeking, among other things, and had a moderate risk of reoffending.
However, there were other "rehabilitative factors" noted in the reports.
At the same time, the prosecutor said the train track offence was "clearly premeditated" and endangered the safety of commuters and the offender's own safety.
Defence lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya from Regent Law urged the court to impose probation.
The defence lawyer said in his mitigation plea that the boy's actions were "due to a lapse in judgment".
He said the boy stays with his parents, who run a hawker stall, and that his father has a history of mental illness.
The teen suffered from developmental delays in early childhood and had a short attention span and "slightly autistic traits" during his formative years.
The lawyer said the incident has taught the teen a lesson and he has since turned to rock-climbing, hiking and volunteering as a dog trainer in a resolve to "productively explore his adventurous interests".
The judge told the teen that the offences were very serious and that he would ordinarily have imposed a sentence like jail or reformative training.
However, he said he considered the teen's "very young age" and was prepared to give him a second chance.
"I hope this is something you will remember, and you will learn and you will not engage in these risky behaviours again," said District Judge Kessler Soh.
Turning to the boy's parents, he told them: "You need to keep a close eye on him."
For criminal trespass, an offender can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$1,500, or both.
For wilfully endangering the safety of people by trespassing onto a railway track, an offender can be jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
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The now 17-year-old Singaporean, who cannot be named as he is under 18, was caught after SMRT lodged a police report upon seeing a video showing a first-person view of someone walking on the tracks.
Investigations later revealed that he had trespassed onto the train tracks between Simei and Tanah Merah MRT stations and climbed to the rooftop of a Housing Board block.
When he heard the police calling for him, the teenager climbed down several floors using ledges and laundry racks, and broke into the home of an 86-year-old woman to hide.
He will also have to perform 80 hours of community service, attend all psychiatric or psychological assessments and treatment, and comply with medication as necessary.
His parents furnished a bond of S$5,000 (US$3,905) to ensure his good behaviour during the probation period.
THE CASE
The boy had pleaded guilty in November to one count under the Rapid Transit Systems Act of wilfully endangering safety, and one count of trespass. Another two charges were considered in sentencing.
The teen had noticed two scaffolding structures leading to the train tracks at Upper Changi Road in January 2025.
A few months later on Mar 27, he waited for workers to leave the scaffolding area before trespassing through a gap in a fence.
He walked on the train tracks, filming a passing train and staying on the tracks for up to 10 minutes, watching four to six trains pass by.
The teen later posted videos of the train on Instagram, one of which was picked up by an Instagram account and went viral.
SMRT lodged a police report over the video, and investigations revealed another incident involving the HDB block-climbing in May 2025.
The teen had "felt the urge to climb" before showering, so he left his unit at about 11pm on May 16, 2025, dressed only in underwear and shoes.
From the 16th floor, he tried to climb onto the rooftop.
A man who resided in the block heard noises from the corridor and saw the teen leaning on the parapet ledge. Feeling scared, the man called the police and noticed that the teen was on the ledge trying to climb to the roof.
The teen climbed up to the rooftop, where he listened to music and made video calls. When he heard the police shouting for him, he walked to the other end of the rooftop and climbed down using ledges and laundry racks.
When the teen noticed bystanders and police officers on the ground floor, he entered a flat on the eighth floor through an open window to evade arrest.
He hid under the bed, where an 86-year-old woman was sleeping and had not noticed him.
He surrendered to the police of his own accord half an hour later.
The prosecutor on Tuesday noted that the teen was found suitable for both probation and reformative training, and left the sentence to the court.
However, she flagged that the reports disclosed his propensity for thrill-seeking, among other things, and had a moderate risk of reoffending.
However, there were other "rehabilitative factors" noted in the reports.
At the same time, the prosecutor said the train track offence was "clearly premeditated" and endangered the safety of commuters and the offender's own safety.
Defence lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya from Regent Law urged the court to impose probation.
TEEN HAS TURNED TO ROCK-CLIMBING: DEFENCE
The defence lawyer said in his mitigation plea that the boy's actions were "due to a lapse in judgment".
He said the boy stays with his parents, who run a hawker stall, and that his father has a history of mental illness.
The teen suffered from developmental delays in early childhood and had a short attention span and "slightly autistic traits" during his formative years.
The lawyer said the incident has taught the teen a lesson and he has since turned to rock-climbing, hiking and volunteering as a dog trainer in a resolve to "productively explore his adventurous interests".
The judge told the teen that the offences were very serious and that he would ordinarily have imposed a sentence like jail or reformative training.
However, he said he considered the teen's "very young age" and was prepared to give him a second chance.
"I hope this is something you will remember, and you will learn and you will not engage in these risky behaviours again," said District Judge Kessler Soh.
Turning to the boy's parents, he told them: "You need to keep a close eye on him."
For criminal trespass, an offender can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$1,500, or both.
For wilfully endangering the safety of people by trespassing onto a railway track, an offender can be jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
Continue reading...