Man jailed for entering SAF training ground to pick pandan leaves

SINGAPORE - When a 62-year-old man was stopped by a soldier after trying to sneak past the gate of a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) training ground, he claimed he was there to pick pandan leaves.

Cheng Lee Meng lied to the police that he had been issued the keys when he worked nearby some 20 years ago, but it was later found that he had asked a pest controller who worked there to duplicate a set of keys for him.

On Tuesday (Nov 30), Cheng was sentenced to two months' jail for trespassing on a protected SAF training ground.

His accomplice, Ng Kiong Hoe, 63, was dealt with on Aug 2, when he was fined $2,000 for a similar offence.

Court documents did not state their occupation.

The pair were caught by a warrant officer just after they unlocked a padlocked gate in Ama Keng Road Track 9 in Lim Chu Kang and drove a van through at around 2.45pm on Sept 9 last year, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Choong told the court.

The road is an entry point into a protected military training ground.

Cheng lied that he was a contractor from "TKK" assigned to conduct works at the location, but the warrant officer was suspicious as he had been told no works were arranged in Track 9 that day.

To convince him, Cheng pretended to call his "boss" and handed him the phone. The person on the line claimed to be Cheng's boss but hung up the moment the warrant officer asked for his identity.

Cheng then said he was there to conduct prayers and later said that he was there to pick pandan leaves. He said someone had passed him the keys but would not say who.

When the soldier called for the police, Cheng got angry and raised his voice and gestured at him, asking the soldier why he was making things difficult for him.

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After both men were arrested, Cheng and Ng told the police they were there to pick pandan leaves.

Cheng told them the SAF gave him a set of keys in 2000 when he operated a business at Ama Keng Dormitory, to open a gate near the dormitory leading to the training ground.

This is false, said DPP Choong, who added that further investigations found that the gate was built only in 2019 and used a new padlock.

The police also found that Cheng asked a pest controller who worked on the grounds, Mr Tan Kim Hua, to duplicate the keys.

Mr Tan agreed, but claimed he did not personally hand them to Cheng and warned him that entering the premises without permission was illegal.

Mr Tan also knew when army training exercises would be conducted at the site as he was not allowed to work on those dates and gave Cheng the information.

Urging the court to factor Cheng's lies in his sentencing, DPP Choong said: "The police only unravelled these lies after extensive investigations into SAF's records and the accused's phone contacts."

Seeking three to six months' jail for Cheng as deterrence, DPP Choong said he took great lengths to intrude into the protected area and actively misled investigators.

He added that this was not Cheng's first criminal trespass offence but did not give further details.

For trespass on a protected place, Cheng could have faced a maximum penalty of two years' jail and $20,000 in fines.