A man who broke into Raffles Place MRT Station after a night of drinking and vandalized a platform door with a fire extinguisher was fined S$3,000 on Friday (22 March).
Consumed a mixed of alcoholic drinks before his rash act
Tan Wee Jian, 33, had consumed 10 cups of alcohol before the incident on 23 Aug 2023, which including whiskey and sake.
According to The Straits Times, Tan went out for dinner with his colleagues after work and by the time he reached the MRT station slightly past midnight, he was already intoxicated.
Forced entry into the station
Tan squeezed through a gantry and pried it open to gain entry into the station. He then exited the gantry and started kicking some metal shutters in the area twice while he was loitering there.
Shin Min Daily News reported that Tan proceeded to force open a casing at one of the station’s exits containing a fire extinguisher, which triggered the fire alarm.
Played with the fire extinguisher and then use it to ‘whack’ things
He then walked around the station with the fire extinguisher, striking a glass panel of a convenience store four times and spraying his surroundings with it.
Tan eventually broke into the station again and gained access to Platform D with the fire extinguisher.
He swung the fire extinguisher against the platform screen door and shattered the glass, causing a total of S$2,955 in damages.
Pleaded guilty and sought help
Tan pleaded guilty to two counts of mischief.
In addition to the fine, he paid restitution for the damages in full on 18 Dec 2023, and has also been seeking help and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Tan’s friend claimed that he has since turned over a new leaf and has quit drinking.
The man, who was seeking a lighter sentence, provided character testimonials from his employer and the friend to the court.
Image source: Shin Min Daily News