SINGAPORE: A 15-year-old boy who was caught with electronic vaporisers on five occasions has been ordered by a court to be placed in a boys’ home.
The boy, who cannot be named as he is under 18, will be placed at the Singapore Boys’ Home for two years.
According to a statement from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Thursday (Jul 24), he was given five charges for each occasion he was found in possession of a vape device.
He received another 15 charges from the Singapore Police Force in the hearing in the Youth Courts, which is not open to the public or the media.
Under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, it is illegal to possess, purchase or use electronic vaporisers in Singapore.
The five vape-related incidents occurred over a span of 10 months.
On Feb 4 last year, the boy had one vape set at a void deck in Punggol. On Mar 19 the same year, he was found with two vapes at a McDonald’s outlet in Nex shopping mall. On May 30, he had one device at Sin Ming Avenue and less than two weeks later, he was caught with another vape in the same area. The last incident took place in October 2024 at Serangoon Central.
The penalty for possessing a vape device is a fine of up to S$2,000.
CNA has contacted the Singapore Police Force for more information on the 15 charges.
