Man who removed bus stop bench to check its dimensions for flat renovation gets detention

SINGAPORE - A man who wanted to remake his new flat so it resembled a bus stop removed a grey metal bench from an actual stop in Braddell Road in June last year.

Tan Ke Wei, 22, took the bench - valued at $1,500 - home in a garbage bag.

He was sentenced to a seven-day short detention order on Tuesday (Oct 9) after pleading guilty in August.

The incident occurred near midnight on June 14 last year when Tan was waiting for a bus.

He starting meddling with the bolts that secured the metal bench and managed to unscrew all eight with his hands.

Tan then dismantled the bench, wrapped it with a garbage bag and took a taxi home. The bench was hidden in a riser unit near his flat.

An anonymous informant told the police the next day that they had seen someone unscrewing the bench.

When police raided Tan's flat, he showed them the bag containing the bench.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ashraf Hassan said Tan had removed the bench because it looked nice and he wanted to check its dimensions.

He told the court that Tan had ordered a bench from a supplier as he intended to renovate his new flat with a bus stop design concept.

Committing mischief and thereby causing loss or damage amounting to $500 or above could have resulted in jail for up to two years and/or fines.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.