'You're a fully grown adult': E-cyclist fined for spitting bubble tea pearls at 2 teen girls

SINGAPORE - A man spat bubble tea pearls at two teenage girls while riding past them on his e-bicycle, even after they had made way for him when he shouted at them.

Toh Jun Sheng, 27, was on Monday fined $3,000 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of using criminal force on another individual.

Separately, he was sentenced to 13 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to two theft-related charges and one count of committing mischief.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dan Pan said that in March 2021, Toh was riding his e-bicycle behind two girls, aged 14 and 15, along Victoria Street.

They moved aside for him to pass after he shouted at them to make way for him. But as he rode past them, he spat tapioca starch balls at them.

The pearls hit one of them on her back and the other on her head. The pearls were also stuck on the second girl’s tudung.

That evening, he also spat pearls at three other secondary school students. DPP Pan said Toh committed the acts against the five young victims as he was bored and thought it was funny to do so.

His offences came to light when the students informed their teacher of the incidents, and a police report was made.

In May 2021, Toh stole an e-bicycle battery valued at around $1,500 from a common corridor of a Housing Board block in Bukit Batok. He also stole two other e-bicycle batteries in a separate incident with an accomplice.

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In that same month, Toh, together with the same accomplice, cut and removed the brakes of two bicycles parked outside a unit in a Choa Chu Kang HDB block. It was not mentioned in court if his accomplice has been dealt with.

Defence lawyer Wee Hong Shern said full restitution has been made and noted that Toh’s actions against the students were not racially motivated. He said his client is remorseful and wishes to put his chequered past behind him.

Before meting out the sentence, District Judge Eugene Teo told Toh: “Your actions in relation to those students you came across (were) utterly shameful and were not funny at all.

“You are standing before the court, a fully grown adult. For you to be doing such things to people who have done you no harm is absolutely inexcusable.”

Judge Teo noted that if Toh were to repeat such offences in the future, the consequences would be more severe.

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