17-year-old youth who walked on MRT tracks to take video of train charged, remanded at IMH for assessment
17-year-old youth who walked on MRT tracks to take video of train charged, remanded at IMH for assessment
Nadine Chua
The Straits Times
July 3, 2025
A 17-year-old youth who allegedly trespassed onto train tracks between Simei and Tanah Merah MRT stations was charged on July 3.
The teen was handed one charge of wilfully endangering the safety of passengers and another charge of criminal trespass.
He cannot be named as he was 16 years old when he allegedly committed the offences in March. Individuals below 18 are protected under the Children and Young Persons Act.
The teen appeared in court via video-link, with the prosecution successfully applying for him to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment.
District Judge Brenda Tan asked if his parents were in court. When this question was posed to those in the court gallery, no one responded.
The judge asked if the teen's parents had been informed of the charges, and he replied he had called his parents.
According to charge sheets, he allegedly committed criminal trespass on March 27 at around 8.15pm by climbing a scaffolding along Upper Changi Road to access the train tracks during operational hours.
In early June, SMRT said it had filed a police report after footage that appeared to have been taken from an MRT track was posted on social media.
The video was taken in dimly lit conditions and shows a train passing by on a nearby track. The person filming it later moves closer to the train, before crossing the tracks.
The teen is also accused of wilfully endangering the safety of those travelling along the railway by trespassing onto the track while train service was in operation.
His case was adjourned to July 17.
Those convicted of committing criminal trespass can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $1,500, or both.
An offender who wilfully does something that endangers those travelling along the railway can be jailed for up to five years, fined up to $10,000, or both.
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