SINGAPORE: A 59-year-old man who urinated at Sengkang bus interchange and stole valuables from vehicles while out on bail was jailed for eight months and one week on Tuesday (May 27).
Neo Beng Yeow pleaded guilty to one charge of public nuisance and was sentenced to one week’s jail.
He also pleaded guilty to one charge of cheating by trying to use a stolen debit card, and one charge of fraudulent possession of stolen valuables, and was sentenced to eight months’ jail for these offences.
Around noon on Feb 12, Neo was seen urinating at a corner of Sengkang bus interchange by a customer service officer, who informed a security supervisor.
This was after the security supervisor had already seen Neo eating and making a mess at a bench in the interchange, and told him to stop doing so.
The supervisor caught Neo as he was about to board a bus from the interchange, but Neo denied having urinated.
The security supervisor reported Neo to the police after confirming his actions through closed-circuit television footage. He was arrested the same day.
Neo was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for assessment for about two weeks in February, after which he was released on bail.
But on Mar 1, he reoffended by stealing valuables including S$250 in cash and a debit card from an unlocked car.
Neo had asked the owner of the valuables if she could give him S$10, but when she refused, he committed the theft when she was not around.
He later tried to use the stolen card to pay for about S$40 worth of alcohol at a restaurant, but was unsuccessful as the victim blocked the transaction in time.
He reoffended again on Mar 2, when a member of the public saw him take a cashcard from a motorcycle and informed the police.
The police found a wallet, S$120 in cash and an ATM card on Neo. These were suspected to have been stolen as he could not explain how they came into his possession.
The court heard that Neo was previously fined S$1,500 for public urination in 2024, and a similar offence was taken into consideration for sentencing in 2016.
“The act of public urination undermines public decency and hygiene. His repeated conduct is indicative (of) a deliberate disregard for the law and societal standards,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Adelle Tai.
Since 2016, Neo has also appeared in court seven times for theft-related convictions. Ms Tai called for a heavier sentence given his “litany” of prior related offences.
With Neo’s conviction, at least four men have been hauled to court for urinating at public transport facilities this year.
Two men were fined S$2,000 each for incidents at Outram Park MRT station and Potong Pasir MRT station in January.
A drunk man was jailed for a week and fined S$2,000 for relieving himself on a moving MRT train also in January.
