SINGAPORE — A 46-year-old woman was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Aug 25) for throwing an assortment of items, including electronic devices, out of her 12th-floor flat window.

Maslina Ramlee, a Singaporean, pleaded guilty to committing a rash act that endangered human life. No one was injured by her acts on the morning of March 9 last year.

The court heard that she had felt upset and frustrated about spending her days alone at home, as her husband and son were in prison.

Because of this, she threw five metal pots, a computer central processing unit (CPU), computer monitor, sound bar and Hi-Fi set out of the window of her flat in a public housing block in Bishan. The exact location was not given in court documents.

The items landed on the ground floor along a grass patch and on a concrete walkway, which residents would use to go to a nearby exercise corner and neighbouring blocks.

While the items were badly damaged by the impact, no one was struck by them.

At that time, Ms Senthuja Subramanian, a 28-year-old social worker who worked at a nearby senior activity centre, heard loud sounds. 

When she went outside to see what was happening, she saw a computer monitor lying on the ground at the foot of the block. Many other items then came raining down.

Ms Senthuja went a short distance away to identify the culprit and saw Maslina throwing the items from her window. She then called the police and officers were dispatched to the location.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Andrew Chia sought six to eight weeks’ jail, noting that the height at which she threw the items had the potential to kill if they struck any passers-by.

He also referred to a 2015 case, where the High Court stated that the problem of killer litter “must be severely curtailed quickly” as the majority of Singapore’s population live in high-rise apartments or flats.

DPP Chia further noted that Maslina had committed previous offences in 2000 and 2008, but did not elaborate in court documents.

Maslina could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$2,500, or both. 

She will begin serving her sentence on Sept 8 and remains out on bail of S$3,000.