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Man accused of damaging NEA high-rise littering camera claims he was sleeping at home during incident

SINGAPORE — A 45-year-old man who faces a criminal charge of damaging a National Environment Agency (NEA) enforcement camera at the foot of a Sembawang public housing block told a district court after pleading guilty on Thursday (June 24) that he had been asleep at the time.

Mak Wai Kong, 45, purportedly used a hammer to hit the camera that was aimed at his flat and two other units after the National Environment Agency received complaints about high-rise littering of cigarette butts in the area.

Mak Wai Kong, 45, purportedly used a hammer to hit the camera that was aimed at his flat and two other units after the National Environment Agency received complaints about high-rise littering of cigarette butts in the area.

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SINGAPORE — A 45-year-old man who faces a criminal charge of damaging a National Environment Agency (NEA) enforcement camera at the foot of a Sembawang public housing block told a district court after pleading guilty on Thursday (June 24) that he had been asleep at the time.

The court heard that the camera, which had been aimed at Mak Wai Kong’s two-room flat and the two units directly below his after the NEA received complaints about high-rise littering of cigarette butts in the area, was damaged on Feb 29 last year.  

At least two residents at the Housing and Development Board block along Canberra Street had spotted a man, whose face was covered with a piece of black cloth, hitting the camera several times with a hammer at about 6.20am.

Mak at first denied committing the offence and only said he did it during his third interview with the police, who confronted him with video stills of him in the exact same clothing as the man who had struck the camera.

Mak also told the authorities that he struck the camera as he did not like it.

The camera was later repaired at an estimated cost of S$2,000.

As Mak had disputed his statement of facts on Thursday, his plea was rejected by District Judge Christopher Goh who encouraged an unrepresented Mak to seek legal advice. 

The matter was sent back for a pre-trial conference.

Separately, Mak had also admitted to impersonating his then-wife in an email to the Family Justice Courts in 2018, in a bid to protect his assets from their ongoing divorce proceedings. The couple have since finalised their divorce.

When Mak protested District Judge Goh’s decision and said it was "best to plead guilty to both” charges, the judge replied that it was not safe to accept his plea.

If convicted of committing mischief that disrupted a key service, he could be jailed for up to 10 years or fined, or both.

If convicted of fabricating evidence for a judicial proceeding, he could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

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NEA enforcement CCTV camera mischief fabricating evidence

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