An elderly man died after he fell in a SBS Transit bus on Wednesday (March 12) evening.

The 80-year-old lost his balance while bus service 262 was making a right turn at a junction in Ang Mo Kio.

He had stood up from his seat and was preparing to alight when he fell before he could grab a pole, SBS Transit spokeswoman Grace Wu told reporters.

The bus captain administered first aid to the elderly man and called for an ambulance.

In response to reporters queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to the incident at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 and Bishan Road on March 12 at about 8pm.

The man was conscious when taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he subsequently died. Police investigations are ongoing.

"We are in touch with his family and are saddened to learn of his passing. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to them during this difficult time of loss," Wu told ST.

A netizen, who identified themself as the grandchild of the deceased, took to social media platforms Facebook and Xiaohongshu (XHS) to appeal for witnesses to contact them.

​In their XHS post, they said that the location where the incident happened was some distance away from the deceased's home, which made them wonder why he had stood up before his stop.

"Was it because there wasn't any available seat and nobody gave up their seat to him? Could it be that the passenger seated next to my grandfather was going to alight the bus and he stood up to give way? Or could he have mistaken that it was his stop to alight?" the grandchild asked.

They added: "My grandfather died... Do you know how devastated we are as his family members?"

SMRT has issued a warning after a man climbed over the platform screen doors at Boon Lay MRT station on Thursday (March 13) to retrieve his mobile phone that fell onto the tracks.

In a post on the public transport operator's Facebook page on Friday, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said that a commuter had activated the emergency stop plunger (ESP) on the west-bound platform at approximately 8.15am after witnessing the incident.

"Thanks to the timely activation of the ESP, the incoming train was halted in time, and the individual was unharmed. Our staff immediately intervened, detained the trespasser and alerted the police," he added.

Trespassing onto the tracks poses "severe safety risks", such as getting hit by a train or being electrocuted by the high-voltage third rail, Lam explained.

"Such reckless actions not only endanger lives but can also cause service disruptions, affecting many commuters. Additionally, when emergency brakes are applied, there is a risk of injury to passengers onboard the train."

Commuters should seek assistance from MRT station staff if an item falls onto the tracks instead of attempting to retrieve it themselves, he said.

However, retrievals could only be done at the end of the day for safety reasons, he explained.

​In July 2021, a 57-year-old man was arrested for climbing onto the tracks at Jurong East MRT station to retrieve his mobile phone. 

The incident resulted in the driver of an oncoming train applying the emergency brakes, and also caused a slight delay in train services.

The following month, a female commuter climbed over the platform screen doors and walked on the train tracks at Yio Chu Kang MRT station.

Commuters on the platform activated the emergency stop plunger and SMRT staff immediately responded.

Police escorted the woman unharmed off the tracks 15 minutes later, and she was detained under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.

SINGAPORE - A man who was about to fly to London allegedly created a ruckus at Changi Airport when he was told he could not leave the gate-hold room to look for his misplaced mobile phone.

Richard Michael Roll Burridge, 57, was charged with one count each of harassment and mischief on March 17, a little over a week after he allegedly committed the offences.

He is expected to plead guilty on March 20.

According to court documents, the Briton allegedly abused a woman with vulgar language at gate-hold room B5 at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on the evening of March 7.

He is also accused of kicking a wall panel of a nearby aerobridge, damaging it.

The police said in an earlier statement that Burridge was boarding a London-bound plane at the terminal when he realised that he had misplaced his mobile phone.

Details about the carrier were not disclosed in court documents.

​According to the police, Burridge left the aircraft as he wanted a look for the device at an airport lounge he had visited earlier.

An airline employee at the gate-hold room subsequently told him that lounge employees could not locate the phone there.

As it was close to the scheduled departure time of the flight, the employee also informed him that he would be offloaded from the plane if he were to leave the gate-hold room.

“He then allegedly responded with a slew of abusive and derogatory words, and as he walked away towards the aircraft, he kicked and damaged a wall panel of the aerobridge,” the police added.

Burridge was eventually offloaded from the flight, and the police were alerted on March 8.

If convicted of harassment, he can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $5,000.

Offenders convicted of mischief can be jailed for up to two years and fined.

SINGAPORE – After more than seven hours of drinking that included pit stops at three different locations, a man got in his car to drive home.

For reasons unknown, Yoong Kok Kai, 44, ended up at Tuas Checkpoint instead, driving in excess of 100kmh.

He lost control of his Lexus car before hitting an auxiliary police officer – leaving the officer in a vegetative state and causing more than $37,290 in property damages.

“This was a needlessly senseless and tragic accident that stemmed from the accused’s decision to not only drink but drive,” said District Judge Kok Shu-En.

The judge added that beyond the damages to government property, Yoong caused grave hurt to a young man.

On March 17, Yoong was sentenced to three years and 10 months’ jail. He will also be disqualified from holding all classes of driving licences for 10 years after his release.

Yoong had pleaded guilty on Feb 27 to causing grievous hurt by dangerous driving and driving under the influence.

The victim, Mr Ng Yi Shu, 30, who was on duty when the accident occurred, had a traumatic brain injury. Now bedbound and non-communicative, he has to be fed via a tube through his nose.

“This young man is still alive today but his quality of life has been irreversibly damaged,” said the judge, adding that Mr Ng’s family will have to live with the consequences of Yoong’s folly for the rest of their lives.

Yoong’s alcohol intake that fuelled the accident started at around 5pm on March 23, 2023, at a restaurant in Fraser Street, near Beach Road.

After having 1½ pints of beer, he drove to another restaurant in South Bridge Road, where he polished off a third of a 500ml bottle of whiskey.

At around 10pm, Yoong walked to a nearby KTV and shared a 3-litre tower of beer with a waitress.

Yoong decided to call it a night after more than seven hours of drinking, and he got into his car to drive home in the direction of Yishun.

He was caught speeding along the AYE around 12.30am on March 24, 2023, travelling at around 134kmh.

​Yoong was later spotted speeding along the Tuas Checkpoint car departure lane viaduct, clocking speeds of up to 119kmh – more than double the 50kmh limit.

It was not stated how he ended up driving in the direction of Tuas Checkpoint.

The court heard that Mr Ng, an auxiliary police officer on duty at the time, spotted Yoong’s car speeding in his direction.

Yoong lost control of his car when approaching a bend, hitting a divider before mounting a kerb and striking Mr Ng, who had run to hide behind a safety bollard and safety gantry in an attempt to get out of the car’s way.

The impact of the collision was so great that it uprooted the safety bollard, gantry, barrier and a traffic light.

Mr Ng was thrown into the air upon impact and landed on his face.

He was later found to have a severe traumatic brain injury and extensive facial fractures.

Mr Ng went through multiple operations between March and June 2023 before he was transferred to a general ward.

The accident has left him in a vegetative state.

Yoong was arrested after the accident. He was later found to have registered 153mg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood, in excess of the 80mg limit.

In total, he drove for about 27km in an intoxicated state.

As a result of the accident, Mr Ng is permanently incapacitated and will not be able to feed, move, bathe, dress, or even go to the toilet without assistance.

“He cannot walk, he cannot talk, he cannot take care of himself, and he cannot work to support himself ever again. Till he dies, he will require care and assistance in all aspects of his daily living,” the prosecution had submitted.

As at Jan 30, Ng had also racked up hospital bills amounting to more than $455,000 – including more than $10,500 that will have to be paid out of pocket, and more than $5,000 from his MediSave account.

Yoong, who caused more than $37,000 in damages at the scene of the accident, has so far made no restitution.

SINGAPORE - A man accused of stabbing a priest at St Joseph’s Church in November 2024 was given additional charges on March 17.

Basnayake Keith Spencer, 37, now faces three counts of being in possession of a weapon on the day of the attack, on Nov 9, 2024, on top of one charge handed earlier after he allegedly used a knife to voluntarily cause grievous hurt.

He allegedly had a 14.5cm penknife, a flip knife and a fishing gaff, which is a pole with a sharp hook, at the place of worship.

The Singaporean was not offered bail on March 17 and his pre-trial conference will take place on April 14.

Basnayake had allegedly approached Reverend Christopher Lee, then 57, at the Upper Bukit Timah Road church shortly before 6.30pm on Nov 9.

Father Lee was conducting communion when Basnayake allegedly stabbed him, leaving him with an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth.

Members of the congregation disarmed Basnayake before police officers arrived at the scene to arrest him.

A video circulating online following the attack shows a slim man in a bloodied white T-shirt being led away from the church with his hands held behind his back.

In an earlier statement, the police said they did not suspect the incident to be an act of terrorism, and added that there was no evidence to suggest it was a religiously motivated attack.

​Father Lee was discharged from hospital on Nov 15, 2024.

The police took a heavily shackled Basnayake back to the church the following month.

He was observed showing the officers the places he had gone to on the day of the attack, before they escorted him back to a police vehicle.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a weapon, an offender can be sentenced to life imprisonment, or face up to 15 years’ jail, fined and caned.

For each count of being in possession of a weapon, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and receive at least six strokes of the cane.

A former Kinderland pre-school teacher who was filmed manhandling several children at a Woodlands pre-school was convicted in court on Thursday (March 13).

Singaporean Lin Min, 35, has been sentenced to 17 months' and two weeks jail, after previously pleading guilty to three charges of ill-treating a child. Three other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The case had made the news in August 2023 after clips of Lin forcefully feeding children liquids went viral online. One video also showed her striking a child's bottom with a book.

The Mandarin teacher was subsequently fired and barred by the Early Childhood Development Agency from working in the pre-school sector.

The court was informed in an earlier hearing that Lin had abused four children between the ages of one and three at the time.

Lin reportedly began working as a pre-school teacher in March 2020.

Court documents which reporters saw stated that Lin had forced a 23-month-old child to lie down and forcefully poured water into her mouth on June 30, 2023.

The girl would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night crying "no" and saying, "bye bye lao shi (teacher)".

Also in June, Lin manhandled a boy who was about two years old by pushing him to the floor in attempts to get him to drink water.

The boy's parents told the police they observed their son not liking strangers touching him around his head and back.

In handing down the sentence, District Judge John Ng said Lin displayed "a clear disregard to the negative impact of her acts of improper treatment" in ensuring the children are fed water.

The judge, however, accepted that "the accused had not acted with malice".

​Lin asked for her sentence to start one week later on March 21, reportedly saying she needed to make arrangements for her child.

For ill-treating a child, Lin could be jailed for up to eight years, or fined up to $8,000, or both.

SINGAPORE - At least $1.7 million had been lost since January in six cases involving scammers who baited their victims with supposedly outstanding insurance premiums, police and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on March 14.

In these cases, the victims received calls from scammers who pretended to be representatives or employees of NTUC Union, Income Insurance, Unionpay and MAS.

The victims were told that they had outstanding premiums tied to their new or expiring life insurance policies.

They were afterwards redirected to other scammers claiming to be with Income Insurance or Unionpay, who then proceeded to harvest their bank account details, private credentials and other personal information.

The victims were then advised to cancel their insurance policies if they did not want the supposed outstanding fees automatically deducted from their bank accounts.

To do that, they were instructed – in some cases, via WhatsApp’s screen-sharing function – to transfer money to a specified bank account, which the scammers claimed was a necessary step to verify their bank accounts.

In some other cases, the victims were redirected to scammers impersonating MAS officials who told them their bank accounts had been linked to money laundering or that their personal information had been compromised.

They were then instructed to help with the investigation by transferring money to a specified bank account.

The victims were all told their money would be refunded. But as soon as the money was transferred, the scammers disappeared.

Police and MAS said in their joint statement that NTUC Union, Income Insurance and Unionpay will never request personal information or payments to private bank accounts through unsolicited calls, e-mails, WhatsApp, or text messages,

Any such requests should be treated as fraudulent and reported to Income Insurance’s hotline at 6788 1777.

MAS likewise will not ask that money be transferred or personal and banking credentials be disclosed.

Members of the public are also advised to download the ScamShield app and set transaction limits that are adequate for daily expenses.

Check for scam signs with official sources, such as the ScamShield app, or by calling the 24-hour ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

Visit www.scamshield.gov.sg for more information on scams.

SINGAPORE – In need of cash to repay both licensed and unlicensed moneylenders, a jewellery store sales executive stole 20 gold plates worth more than $124,000 in total and $20,000 in cash from his then employer.

Jacky Tan Jun Jia, who had a gambling addiction, was employed at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery at Bugis Junction shopping mall when he committed the offence in June 2024.

Tan, 34, who is no longer working there, was sentenced to 20 months’ jail on March 14 after he pleaded guilty to a theft charge.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Claire Poh said that due to Tan’s online gambling addiction, he started borrowing money from licensed and unlicensed moneylenders in 2023.

At around 9am on June 18, 2024, he reported for work and noticed that a safe inside the store’s office was open.

He told his colleagues about an hour later that he was unwell and asked to perform cashier duties inside the office.

Tan was performing stocktaking at around 3pm when his colleagues advised him to visit a doctor.

He then hatched a plan to steal the cash and valuables from the store.

At around 5.20pm, he removed 20 gold plates and $20,000 in cash from the safe, and placed them into his pockets and bag. A CCTV camera inside the store recorded him committing the offence.

He left the store soon after.

Tan took a taxi to a pawnshop in Bedok North and received nearly $48,000 after he pawned 10 of the gold plates.

According to him, he used nearly $68,000 of his ill-gotten gains to repay his loans and handed the remaining 10 gold plates to an unlicensed moneylender known only as “Ah Wee”.

Tan also told investigators that he handed his wife $3,000 in cash and deposited $4,000 into his own bank account.

​His colleagues discovered that the gold plates and cash were missing at around 7.30pm, and the store’s assistant manager alerted the police.

Shortly before 9pm, Tan sent the assistant manager a text message and came clean about what he had done.

DPP Poh said: “The accused then switched off his mobile phone and disposed of it at the back of a lorry in the vicinity of Block 216 Bedok North Road.

“He also contacted his brother and told him that he had committed a crime and would be uncontactable.”

Tan surrendered himself to the police and officers arrested him at around 10.15pm that day.

They later seized $3,000 in cash from him and the 10 pawned gold plates from the pawnshop.

Court documents did not state what happened to the 10 gold plates that Tan claimed had been given to Ah Wee.

Defence lawyers Sarbrinder Singh and Nicholas Say from Sanders Law had pleaded for their client to be given up to 18 months’ jail.

They stated in court documents: “Due to repeated harassment and threats from illegal moneylenders, (Tan) succumbed to pressure and committed the offence. He was in need of funds and didn’t know what to do.”

The lawyers also said that their client is extremely remorseful and had fully cooperated with the authorities.

On March 14, Tan’s bail was set at $20,000 and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on March 28.

SINGAPORE - One person was taken to hospital after a data centre in Chai Chee caught fire in the early hours of March 14.

In response to queries from reporters, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the blaze that took place at 750C Chai Chee Road at around 6am.

An e-mail sent out by SG.GS, the cloud data centre provider partner of Singapore Internet Exchange, said an “explosion” caused the fire.

“We have dispatched our field engineers to do a thorough investigation of (the) damage and will notify you once any update is available,” said the e-mail.

Initial checks showed that servers within the centre are still in service, said the e-mail, but the company “needed some time to recover”.

SCDF said the fire involved a server rack and was put out with a dry powder fire extinguisher.

The sprinkler system was also activated, said SCDF, adding that one person was taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

​The cause of the fire is under investigation.

In September 2024, a data centre in Loyang housing systems for tech companies like Lazada and Alibaba caught fire, resulting in firefighting operations that lasted for more than 36 hours.

The fire was linked to lithium-ion batteries kept in the battery rooms on the third floor of the building, and four water jets were deployed to contain the fire. About 20 people got out of the building before firefighters arrived, and there were no reported injuries.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the article, we said the data centre is 1-Net, which is a Mediacorp enterprise. Mediacorp has clarified that 1-Net was not involved in the fire. We also said the e-mail was sent by Singapore Internet Exchange. This is inaccurate. We are sorry for the errors.

SINGAPORE – When Inspector Muhammad Rasidi Suriade of the Police Coast Guard (PCG) got a call on Feb 28 about a Singapore-registered chemical tanker being boarded illegally by unknown suspects, he rushed to the scene.

He and his colleagues were on a PCG boat patrolling Singapore waters just five minutes away. The PCG boarded the tanker after it entered Singapore territorial waters.

Insp Rasidi and five officers boarded the vessel at around 8.20am and saw a crew member lying on the ship’s main deck, bleeding from his right eye.

Seeing that his injuries were serious, Insp Rasidi told two of his officers to stay with the injured man, while the remaining four officers turned their attention to finding the suspects.

Insp Rasidi was recounting the “unauthorised boarding” incident that happened in the Singapore Strait, outside Singapore territorial waters.

The 29-year-old injured Indian national is in a stable condition and has been discharged from hospital.

Speaking to reporters at the PCG headquarters at Brani Base on March 12, Insp Rasidi said: “Someone was injured, and his life could have been on the line. We had to clear the main deck as fast as possible, so he could be evacuated quickly and receive medical help.”

The tanker’s crew said six to seven suspects had boarded the ship.

But before locating them, Insp Rasidi said he and his team had to gather every crew member and ensure they were accounted for.

The inspector added: “We needed to rule out the possibility a perpetrator was posing as a crew member, or that someone else was injured on another part of the ship.”

The PCG officers verified the passports of more than 20 people, matching their faces to their identity photos.

As this happened, a PCG patrol boat stood guard beside the chemical tanker, which is the size of around five Olympic swimming pools and more than 50 times the size of the PCG patrol boat.

To monitor the situation better, Sergeant Muhammad Zukhairie Khairudin and his colleague deployed the Seaborne Electro Optics System (SEOS), a camera system mounted on top of the PCG craft.

It can detect heat signatures, even in low-light conditions at night. The 360-degree view allows officers to monitor and observe surrounding vessels in real time, which helps them identify potential threats and suspicious activities.

Also speaking to reporters at the PCG headquarters, Sgt Zukhairie said: “The crew members told us the perpetrators had already left the tanker, but we could not be certain until our officers had fully swept the area.

“The SEOS was needed to watch for any suspects who may attempt to escape or even enter the tanker.”

As Sgt Zukhairie provided cover using the camera system, Insp Rasidi and his team continued to clear the main deck, which was around 200m long.

Noting the uncertainty that comes with sweeping a vessel of this size, Sgt Zukhairie said: “Every time we enter a vessel, there will be a level of threat that cannot be ascertained from the get-go.

“For instance, if I open this door, what is behind it? We have to be quick, efficient, and the decisions made need to be spot on.”

In around 20 minutes, Insp Rasidi and his team cleared the main deck and the Singapore Civil Defence Force attended to the casualty and evacuated him.

​After two hours of sweeping the entire tanker, no perpetrators were found on board. The police said investigations are ongoing.

Insp Rasidi, who has more than 20 years’ experience, stressed that each incident is different.

He said: “In cases such as these, we have to stay focused at all times. Fatigue will set in and dealing with anxiety can be tough.

“So, we need to count on our decision-making skills to ensure we deal with each dynamic situation as best as we can.”