SINGAPORE – Unhappy with his friend’s drunken behaviour after a night out, a man threw a punch at his friend’s face, causing him to fall backwards and to hit his head on the concrete floor.

Instead of helping him after the fall, the man walked to his car and drove to join another group of friends for drinks.

Four days later, the friend died in the hospital due to severe head injuries.

On Oct 9, Eng Chee Hong, 55, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt, and one charge for driving under the influence of alcohol in a separate incident.

He will be sentenced on Oct 10.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Lu Jia said Eng’s actions were caught on closed circuit television footage.

In her submissions, she pointed out that Eng had a history of six similar cases causing hurt to others, among a string of other offences, over a two-decade period.

She added that he had previously served nine years jail for one such offence, which indicated the punishment had not deterred him.

DPP Teo said the assault in the present case was “wholly unprovoked” as the victim had not presented any hostility towards him whatsoever.

Eng had known the victim Dao Van Chien, 38, as he was a patron of the coffee shop that Dao worked at.

The prosecutor said that Eng had gone to the coffee shop in Jurong to meet his friends for dinner on Dec 31, 2023. The group of more than 10 had planned to celebrate New Year’s Eve together.

DPP Teo said that Dao, a Vietnamese who was working as a drink stall assistant at the time, had mingled with the group and also consumed alcohol with them.

The group decided to move the celebration to a karaoke joint near Yuan Ching Road, as the coffee shop closed at 10.30pm.

Dao was also invited to join the celebrations and the group arrived at the KTV at around 11pm.

Sometime past midnight, Eng felt that Dao was becoming increasingly intoxicated as Dao had gone on stage to sing and dance.

​Eng became concerned that Dao was becoming overly intoxicated and overly friendly, and was worried that Dao’s behaviour would cause trouble for the group.

Both men left the KTV after 12.30am with two others from their group, with Dao walking ahead of Eng.

The court heard that at this point, Dao wanted to return to the KTV. He came across Eng as he was walking back to the establishment and called out to him by referring to him as a “brother”. Eng saw that Dao was walking unsteadily and knew he was highly intoxicated.

Eng then pointed his finger at Dao angrily as he was unhappy with Dao’s behaviour. Dao tried to hold on to Eng’s arm, but the latter pushed him away before punching him once on his face.

The force of the punch sent Dao falling backwards, which caused his head to hit the concrete floor. CCTV footage showed Eng looked at Dao for a short while before he walked away without helping.

DPP Teo said around the same time, another patron from the pair’s group was walking towards them and saw Dao lying on the floor with blood coming out of his mouth.

At this point, Eng had driven off to meet another group of friends at Balmoral Plaza to continue drinking.

Dao remained motionless but started to choke on his blood. The patron, who had called for the ambulance, then moved Dao to a prone position.

He was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and found with traumatic brain injuries including fractures in his skull, and bleeding and injury to his brain.

A decision to take him off life support was made on Jan 4.

In mitigation, Eng informed the court he had contributed to Dao’s funeral expenses by raising $1,500.

DPP Teo responded that Dao’s employer had paid for the entire funeral. Dao’s family had also declined Eng’s compensation.

In a separate incident, Eng was caught driving under the influence of alcohol while he was out on bail for the first offence.

On June 23, Eng had met his friends at Prinsep Street, where he consumed four glasses of beer in an hour. He then attempted to drive home to Hougang but was stopped at a traffic police roadblock.

A breathalyser test revealed he had at least 46 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which was above the prescribed limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

SINGAPORE – Men and women at a coffee shop in Geylang were questioned by police officers who surrounded them and prevented them from leaving during an anti-vice operation.

But while most of the women tried to hide their faces from members of the media at the scene, many of the men carried on eating and drinking.

A total of 33 women were nabbed for offences under the Women’s Charter during the operation on Oct 7, after the police received a tip-off about women soliciting at the coffee shop on the corner of Geylang Lorong 29.

Dozens of officers swooped in on the area, surrounding the coffee shop at around 9.30pm.

The media arrived at around 9.40pm to witness the operation.

Many of the women, who hold passports from China and Vietnam, tried to cover their faces with their hands.

When questioned by officers, some appeared uncooperative, gesturing that they did not know anything or claiming that they did not know what was going on.

Others were reluctant to unlock their mobile phones that were seized by the police.

A female officer told them that the longer they took to cooperate, the longer they would have to spend sitting at the coffee shop in full view of the public.

The officers were also seen checking the women’s hair for anything that might be hidden in it.

Unlike the women who appeared to be in shock, the men who were questioned continued eating and drinking in the midst of the operation.

At one table, a woman who was later arrested tightly clutched the arm of a man as police questioned her.

The man, however, appeared unfazed and even smiled as he continued his meal with his friends.

​He later shrugged off the woman’s arms and told her to relax before she was taken away by the police.

At another table, while being questioned by the police, a man gave the thumbs-up and made a toast with his friends when he saw the members of the media and their cameras.

In contrast, the women at the table next to the men’s sat motionless with sullen looks on their faces.

The 33 women, aged 21 to 54, were later led away in batches by the police and arrested for managing a place of assignation and working without valid work passes.

Under the Women’s Charter, anyone who manages or assists in the management of a place of assignation may be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.

Anyone who works without a valid work pass may be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $20,000.

The operation also uncovered illegal gambling activities at the premises.

Three people, aged 31 to 59, are being investigated for conducting unlawful lotteries, and more than $140 in cash and stacks of betting slips were seized from the trio.

Those convicted of being involved in unlawful lotteries can be jailed for up to seven years and fined up to $500,000.

SINGAPORE – A pre-school where a man was previously charged with outrage of modesty has now fired a teacher in a separate incident involving the rough-handling of children.

On Sept 8, an anonymous report of child mismanagement by a teacher was made to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

In the course of investigations, ECDA found evidence on Sept 13 and informed the pre-school to remove the teacher from care and teaching duties, the agency told reporters.

The pre-school terminated her employment on Sept 20, and ECDA said the woman will not be allowed to work at other pre-schools.

A letter to parents from the pre-school’s principal seen by reporters said the incident involved the Playgroup class, which is for children aged 18 months to two years.

A police report has been lodged, and investigations are ongoing.

The centre was previously involved in a case of outrage of modesty in 2023, and cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity.

In December 2023, a 59-year-old man was charged in court with one count of using criminal force on a person below 14 years old with intent to outrage modesty. The case involved a two-year-old girl who was allegedly molested in the pre-school by the man, a non-teaching staff member.

In a statement issued to reporters for the incident of rough-handling, a spokesman for the pre-school said it is working closely with ECDA and apologised for the incident.

He said: “This is an unfortunate incident. The parents have been informed.”

Parents of the affected children were briefed by the pre-school on Sept 21 on what happened, how the incident was spotted, and action that has been taken, he added.

The spokesman said the meetings went well, and the parents appreciated the centre’s transparency.

Additional measures have since been taken, such as counselling for staff members and art therapy for children. All teachers have also been reminded of the standard protocols for how to manage children, he added.

“We are sorry that this has happened.”

The spokesman said the pre-school has a total of 75 CCTV cameras, and regularly reviews footage as part of work processes.

In a footage review on Sept 3, the centre’s principal spotted an action by the teacher involved in the case and addressed it with her. The incident of rough-handling was later discovered while viewing more footage on Sept 18.

Many parents from the pre-school declined to speak to ST.

One father, who declined to be named, said that while the incident was concerning, he was satisfied with how the centre handled it.

He said: “I was concerned, but I also do not think it is the school’s fault. Cases of bad teachers can happen in any pre-school. What is important is how it is dealt with.”

Another parent, who also requested to be anonymous, said having CCTV cameras in a pre-school centre helps parents build trust.

All pre-schools were required to have CCTVs installed by July 1, as part of a mandate by ECDA.

“Having surveillance in the school provides me some comfort at least,” the parent said.

ECDA said that it follows up on alleged child mismanagement incidents through unannounced visits to pre-schools, interviews, reviews of CCTV camera footage and verification of records.

The agency said it requires all pre-school operators to have systemic measures to keep children safe, which includes ensuring that child-safe policies and procedures are consistently and effectively implemented.

Parents or staff who have concerns about child management should report the matter to the pre-school operator, or they can make a report of suspected child mismanagement in a pre-school to ECDA at [email protected].

SINGAPORE – More than 300kg of illegally imported food from Thailand were seized in raids by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Sept 24.

The raids were conducted at five food retail establishments at City Gate and Golden Mile Tower in Beach Road, the agency said on Oct 9.

At four of these establishments, SFA officers found illegally imported processed and raw meat, as well as insect products, being sold. These included chicken, beef, pork and insects such as beetles and snails.

Two of the food retail establishments were also found to be operating without valid licences.

SFA is following up with further investigations.

In Singapore, food imports must meet SFA’s requirements, as illegally imported food products of unknown sources may pose a food safety risk.

Food can be brought into Singapore only by licensed importers, and every consignment must be declared and accompanied by a valid import permit, the agency said.

​Additionally, meat and meat-related products can be imported only from accredited sources in approved countries that comply with the Republic’s food safety requirements.

Those convicted of possessing meat and seafood products imported without a valid permit for the purpose of selling can be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

Repeat offenders can be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

SFA said the operation of unlicensed food establishments also poses a food safety risk.

“In Singapore, all food establishments must be licensed and are required to meet SFA’s requirements and food safety standards,” it added.

Those who operate food establishments without a valid licence can be fined up to $10,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.

SINGAPORE - Anomalies in scanned images were the first signs that something was amiss in cargo containers that had arrived at Pasir Panjang Scanning Station and Tuas Port.

A total of 10 swords were found in three separate smuggling attempts in August, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in an Oct 9 Facebook post.

On Aug 5, ICA uncovered a metal sword and a wooden sword. This was followed by two metal swords on Aug 24. Two days later, officers found two metal swords, two plastic swords and two wooden swords.

The cases were referred to the police for further investigation.

In Singapore, some weapons can be imported with approval from the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department.

The police’s website contains an advisory on controlled items and the process of approval to bring them in.

Those found guilty of illegally importing such arms can be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to three years.

Reporters has contacted the police for more details.

SINGAPORE — Six people were injured after two shophouse units partially collapsed in Syed Alwi Road after a gas explosion in the early hours of Oct 8.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post at about 7am that they were alerted at about 1.30am at 84 and 85 Syed Alwi Road.

According to checks online, the former location houses Paakashala Singapore, a vegetarian Indian restaurant, while the latter, Nirja Mega Mart.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a Facebook post at around 9.30am it was alerted to a suspected gas explosion incident.

It said its engineers were sent to assess the structural integrity of the shophouse units and the adjacent buildings.

It added: "The rear part of the two shophouse units have partially collapsed. The front facade and staircase of unit 84 were also damaged by the explosion.

"The other adjacent buildings were not affected by the explosion and are safe."

BCA engineers have told the owners to put in place immediate safety measures to cordon off the two units from public access.

Two orders — Dangerous Building and Closure — have been served by the BCA to the owners of the two shophouse units to close off the buildings.

BCA said they must appoint a professional engineer to investigate the incident and recommend permanent rectification measures to be carried out.

When reporters arrived at the scene at about 9am, a cordon was put up to cover the adjacent units, and the alleyway behind the affected building.

Phillip Hotel, which is behind the scene at Desker Road, also had glass shattered from one of its windows.

SCDF said it had immediately conducted a search of the area to check if anyone was trapped under the debris. Two search dogs and a drone were also used.

SCDF added firefighters rescued someone from the second floor of unit 84, using a ladder, as a blocked staircase prevented that person's escape.

SCDF said that as some passers-by had reportedly heard a loud blast during the incident, a firefighting machine was used to disperse any potential build-up of flammable gases using its water mist spray.

No one was found trapped under the debris.

Two people suffered minor injuries and were taken to Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, while four others also sustained minor injuries, but declined to be taken to hospital.

Netizen Qristal Adrianna was live-streaming on Facebook at about 1.20am when the incident happened.

​As ambulance sirens sounded in the background, a woman can be heard saying that an explosion happened at a restaurant next to Mustafa Centre.

Part of the one-lane road next to the units was also blocked by a crowd of onlookers due to the commotion.

Enraged that his girlfriend had been molested, a truck driver and his colleagues retaliated by beating the alleged perpetrator, a forklift driver, with a metal rod.

The incident occurred at about 8pm along 1 Yuan Ching Road, near a parking lot behind SuperBowl Jurong.

An eyewitness surnamed Zhang told reporters he was having dinner in the vicinity when the fight occurred. He recounted that he saw a group of men attacking the victim with a metal road as he was heading to the toilet.

"In a state of panic, I yelled that I was a police officer, but they didn't stop hitting the man. I had no choice but to call the police," recounted the 44-year-old car dealer.

When reporters arrived at the scene, four police cars were seen parked in the area. 

A bloodstained fluorescent safety jacket was also spotted next to a rubbish bin outside a toilet near the scene.

A second eyewitness, Mohammad Ali, who was passing by the area with his wife said he saw the victim lying on the ground with a bloodied head.

Paramedics were attending to him, as police officers were questioning several people.

"The victim was conscious and was able to communicate. Paramedics cut open his clothes to rescue him, and he was brought into an ambulance." 

A friend of the victim, who declined to be named, told reporters that the forklift driver had glanced at the woman outside the toilet.

He and his friend were attending a gathering with a group of friends.

When he was confronted by the woman's boyfriend, he allegedly retorted by asking why he couldn't look, which led to the attack.

He maintained that his friend did not molest the woman.

In response to reporters queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at about 8.05pm last Saturday.

A 41-year-old man was conveyed conscious to the hospital.

Two men and a woman aged between 32 and 42, were subsequently arrested for affray.

Two other men, aged 40 and 35, were also apprehended for voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapon and riotous behaviour respectively.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that one person was taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital.

SINGAPORE – A man was at home in March 2023 when his neighbour, a 12-year-old boy, offered to perform a sexual act on him.

The man, who accepted the offer, was caught five months later when the child told a schoolmate about the incident.

Their school counsellor was informed and subsequently alerted the police.

On Oct 8, the 52-year-old man was sentenced to eight years and three months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to one count of statutory rape.

He cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect the child’s identity.

Deputy public prosecutors Sunil Nair and June Ngian stated in court documents that the man was well acquainted with the boy’s family as they visited his home on festive occasions.

The boy had returned home from school on March 7, 2023, but could not enter his flat as he did not have his keys.

Needing to use the bathroom, he went to the offender’s home on the same corridor and knocked on the door.

The man allowed him in, and the pair later sat on opposing couches in the unit while waiting for the boy’s father to return home.

Around 5pm, the boy asked to touch the man’s private parts and offered to perform a sexual act on him.

The pair then engaged in sexual activities before the boy’s brother turned up to take the child home later that evening.

The DPPs said that the offender knew the boy was around 12 years old at the time of the incident.

SINGAPORE – At least 14 cases of scams involving the impersonation of DBS Bank have been reported since Sept 21, with losses amounting about $29,000.

The numbers were announced in a joint advisory by the police and DBS on Oct 8 about the recent uptick of these phishing scams, warning the public not to fall for them.

In these cases, victims would receive an e-mail or text message supposedly from DBS urging them to click on an embedded online link to resolve an urgent issue with their accounts or digital tokens, or to participate in deals, promotions or membership applications.

They would be directed to a phishing website after clicking on the link. There, they would be asked to fill in their banking credentials, card details or one-time passwords.

Victims would realise they had been scammed only upon discovering unauthorised transactions made using their bank accounts or cards.

The police and DBS advised the public to adopt precautionary measures such as installing the ScamShield app, setting security features for internet banking transactions and using the Money Lock feature to secure a portion of their savings.

They also urged people to check for signs of a scam with official sources such as the ScamShield helpline.

“Banks will never send you clickable links via SMS or e-mail. Legitimate SMSes from banks will reflect their officially registered SMS sender ID,” the advisory said.

People should tell the authorities, family and friends about potential scams, as well as report any fraudulent transactions to their bank immediately.

Anyone with information relating to such crimes can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit it online through the police website.

The public can also visit the DBS Bank Safely Hub website to learn more about safeguarding themselves from scams and staying secure online.

SINGAPORE – A man appeared in a district court on Oct 8 after he allegedly kicked a cat, repeatedly stepped on its head inside a lift, and threw it down from the 38th floor of a Housing Board block of flats, killing it.

Ryan Tan Yi Bin, 25, who was handed an animal cruelty charge, is accused of committing the offence at Block 78 Lorong Limau, near Whampoa Road, between 2am and 4am on Oct 7.

Court documents do not disclose the reasons behind his alleged attack on the cat.

Appearing in court via video-link from Central Police Division, Tan kept his eyes on the ground and clasped his hands in front of his chest as he stood before District Judge Lorraine Ho.

Without revealing details, a prosecutor from the National Parks Board told Judge Ho that Tan was arrested on Oct 7 and asked the court to not offer him bail. The prosecutor also asked for the Singaporean to be remanded for one week for investigations to be completed.

Tan is not represented by a lawyer and his case has been adjourned to Oct 15.

First-time offenders convicted of animal cruelty can be jailed for up to 18 months and fined up to $15,000.

Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $30,000.