SINGAPORE — Annoyed by the noise from birds chirping near his flat, a man said that he used a homemade slingshot to fire glass marbles at a nearby tree where they were roosting.

Instead of hitting the birds, the glass marbles struck a glass panel at Zhenghua Community Club, causing S$29,000 of damage.

On Wednesday (Aug 7), Lim Leong Sim, 61, pleaded guilty to committing a rash act that endangered the life or personal safety of others. He was sentenced to three weeks' jail.

The court heard that on April 19 at about 5.30pm, Lim was watching television.

State Prosecuting Officer Ghopinath Kalimuthu said: "The accused claimed that he heard some bird noises coming from the trees directly opposite his block area, and this annoyed him."

Lim then used a slingshot, which he made, and shot glass marbles "two or three times" at a tree between his home and the community club.

While he claimed to have aimed at the birds roosting in the tree, the glass marbles ended up striking and cracking the glass windows of Zhenghua Community Club.

A project coordinator working with a contractor for the community club then called the police about the incident.

The prosecution said that the estimated cost of dismantling and replacing the panels is S$29,000.

The police traced and arrested Lim on April 22, where they seized several marbles, a receipt for a hardware store and a wooden slingshot.

For committing a rash act that endangers the life or personal safety of others, Lim could have been jailed up to six months or fined up to S$2,500, or both.