Jail, fine for man who used slingshots to shoot ball bearings, damaging neighbour's windows
Jail, fine for man who used slingshots to shoot ball bearings, damaging neighbour's windows
SINGAPORE – Whenever he felt bored, a man would shoot metal ball bearings from his room using slingshots and other items, aiming at lamp posts and signages.
On one occasion, Ip Hin Yew even tried to shoot at a nearby parked car that was blocking a rubbish truck.
Between February and April 2023, he used slingshots to shoot ball bearings from his Bukit Panjang Housing Board flat, damaging a neighbour's windows on two occasions.
The 46-year-old Singaporean, who has since made full restitution of $550 to his neighbour, was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail and a fine of $4,000 on April 23 .
He had pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including committing a rash act that endangered the safety of others, and being in possession of spring-powered pistols and a replica rifle that shot water absorbent pellets.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gladys Lim told the court that in 2021, Ip developed an interest in slingshots and guns that shot ball bearings.
He then decided to buy these items from e-commerce platform Taobao.
Police officers who raided Ip's home in May, 2023 found seven slingshots, three spring-powered pistols and a replica battery-operated rifle.
DPP Lim said: 'The accused watched Youtube videos showing how people would use slingshots. He started practising shooting the slingshots, replica pistols and toy rifles with the metal ball bearings from his room.
'He would do these 'target practices' from the window of his room and shoot at lamp posts or signages at random timings or whenever he was bored,' she added.
On Feb 23, 2023, Ip's 63-year-old neighbour alerted the police, stating that somebody had thrown a 'pinball' at his window, damaging it.
The following month, he made a police report again , saying that he had heard a sound from an 'airgun' and found a ball bearing along a common corridor near his home.
He lodged a third police report in April that year after his wife heard a cracking sound at their window and found a ball bearing nearby.
Police raided Ip's home on May 2, 2023, and he was charged in court in 2024.
On April 23, the DPP told the court 'it was fortuitous that no one was injured'.
She said the potential harm would have been greater if Ip had accidentally shot someone with a ball bearing.
'However, we...note that the accused did not appear to have been intending to use the slingshots for more nefarious purposes.'
The prosecutor also stressed that a deterrent sentence was necessary in this case to safeguard public order and safety.
Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Singaporean owner of defunct company barred from raising funds for charity after regulatory breaches, Singapore News
A Singaporean man, 26, has been barred from carrying out fundraising activities after he was found to have breached multiple regulations. Eugene Liow Chia Hau will not be able to raise funds for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes from Tuesday (June 10). In a joint statement on the same day, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said that the Commissioner of Charities had received feedback between July 2023 and January 2024 about fund-raising appeals carried out by Direct Hope, which was run by Liow. The now-defunct company was engaged by the youth charity Bilby Community Development as a commercial fund-raiser between May 2023 and January 2024. Investigations by MSF found that Liow, who is the sole proprietor of Direct Hope, had multiple breaches under the Charities (Fund-raising Appeals for Local and Foreign Charitable Purposes) Regulations. Liow did not place adequate "control measures and safeguards to ensure proper accountability" of donations collected by Direct Hope, and to prevent them from being lost or stolen, MCCY and MSF said. "He also did not maintain proper accounting records of the fund-raising appeals, or a list of the personal particulars of Direct Hope's collectors," they said. Checks by AsiaOne showed that Direct Hope is not a registered charity. Its business records listing its principal activity as "other social services without accommodation". Its other principal activity involved the sale of handicrafts, collectibles and gifts. Direct Hope was registered as a business in August 2021, and its licence expired three years later and was not renewed. A screenshot of the Direct Hope website, shared on social media, showed the group describing itself as a "community-driven social youth enterprise" that purportedly supports "marginalised youths" through "direct selling activities". AsiaOne found that online complaints about Direct Hope going door to door soliciting donations have been circulating since 2022. MCCY and MSF said that while most fund-raising appeals are genuine, it is important for the public to continue practicing safer giving to ensure "their donations are used for genuine charitable purposes". The ministries said that members of the public should ask questions and check the Charity Portal at to find out if a charity is registered or has shared details of its public fund-raising appeal. They can scan a QR code on the official letter provided by the charitable organisation, which will lead to more details on the Charity Portal. Members of the public can also send an SMS to 79777, which should be formatted as FR , followed by a space and the organisation's name, or call the Charities Unit on 6337-6597. "Members of the public should not feel pressured to give if they have concerns or suspect that an appeal for donations is not legitimate," MCCY and MSF said. They can make a report to the COC at mccy_charities@ to alert them on suspicious fund-raising activities. If it is a suspected scam or fraud case, then they should file a police report immediately. [[nid:688365]] chingshijie@
New Paper
11 hours ago
- New Paper
Man, 26, barred from conducting fundraising for charity
A 26-year-old Singaporean man has been barred from carrying out any fundraising activities after he was found to have breached multiple regulations. Starting from June 10, Mr Eugene Liow Chia Hau will no longer be able to raise funds for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in a statement that same day. The prohibition order was first published in the electronic gazette on June 9 and was issued by the Commissioner of Charities (COC). The Straits Times had approached MCCY for more information upon the publication of the notice. In their June 10 statement, the ministries said the COC had received feedback between July 2023 and January 2024 about fundraising appeals carried out by Direct Hope, which was run by Mr Liow. Direct Hope had been engaged by the youth charity Bilby Community Development as a commercial fundraiser between May 2023 and January 2024. The feedback led to an investigation by MSF, which found Mr Liow to have breached multiple regulations under the Charities (Fund-raising Appeals for Local and Foreign Charitable Purposes) Regulations 2012. He did not implement "control measures and safeguards to ensure proper accountability" of the donations collected by Direct Hope, nor ways to prevent donations from being lost or stolen. Mr Liow also did not keep proper accounting records of the fundraising appeals, and did not have a list of the personal particulars of those who had helped Direct Hope solicit for donations. A sole proprietorship, Direct Hope was not a registered charity, with a search of its business records listing its principal activity as "other social services without accommodation". Its other principal activity involved the sale of handicrafts, collectibles and gifts. Incorporated in August 2021, its business licence expired in August 2024 and was not renewed, with a search on its website showing that it is no longer active. An archived version dated in August 2024 showed that it marketed itself as a "community driven social youth enterprise" that aimed to help marginalised youth. This was done through "teaching them important life skills & values, giving them community support and by alleviating their financial burdens through job opportunities and entrepreneurial projects". A search online showed that complaints about Direct Hope going door-to-door soliciting donations have been circulating since at least 2022. Advising the public to be discerning when approached by those soliciting donations, the ministries said that although most fundraising appeals are genuine, it is important to verify that their donations are going to legitimate causes. Besides asking questions, the ministries said that people can check through the Charity Portal at to find out if a charity is registered or has shared details of its public fundraising appeal. Otherwise, they can scan a QR code on the official letter provided by the charitable organisation, which will lead to more details on the Charity Portal. They can also send an SMS to 79777, which should be formatted as FR, followed by a space, and the organisation's name, or call the Charities Unit at 6337 6597. "Members of the public should not feel pressured to give if they have concerns or suspect that an appeal for donations is not legitimate," the statement said. If one suspects that a fundraising activity may be suspicious, they can make a report to the COC at mccy_charities@ If it is a suspected scam or fraud case, then they should file a police report immediately.
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
S'porean arrested after causing $2,800 damage to BMW in JB, allegedly also involved in 2023 road rage incident
S'porean arrested after causing $2,800 damage to BMW in JB, allegedly also involved in 2023 road rage incident A Singaporean man who was arrested for a road rage incident in Johor on June 7 is alleged to have been involved in a similar incident in 2023. The 40-year-old was arrested on June 8 at 6.20pm, said Johor Bahru North police chief Balveer Singh Mahindar Singh in a statement. He said a 31-year-old Malaysian man had made a police report, claiming that a person in a Singapore-registered Toyota Altis had honked his car horn at him. Assistant Commissioner Balveer said the Singaporean was upset that the Malaysian's BMW had blocked his path in the Taman Tun Aminah area. "An argument took place and the suspect allegedly kicked the complainant's car, causing damage," said AC Balveer. The Johor Bahru Magistrate Court granted a police application for the Singaporean to be detained for mischief, damage of property and utterance of insult until June 12 to assist with investigations. Facebook user Vicky Sing, who said she was the girlfriend of the Malaysian driver, posted videos and photos of the incident on June 7. One of the videos shows the Singaporean man kicking the car. On June 9, she shared an Oct 6, 2023, post by another Facebook user Tok Zhi Wei of the driver of the same Singapore-registered Toyota Altis kicking another car. Ms Sing also shared photos of a quotation for 9,300 ringgit (S$2,800) from a Malaysian auto workshop to repair her boyfriend's BMW. Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
