SINGAPORE — A 19-year-old teenager facing several criminal charges, including trespassing into the Singapore Zoo’s rhino enclosure to perform a backflip stunt, returned to court on Wednesday (Oct 13) to face a drug consumption charge.

Ralph Wee Yi Kai is alleged to have consumed a cannabinol derivative, which comes from the banned drug cannabis, around Aug 6 this year, while he was on bail. Court documents did not provide more details.

He was released on bail of S$20,000 on Wednesday following an application by his defence counsel, Mr Shashi Nathan from law firm Withers KhattarWong.

Wee, who is a Singaporean, now faces a total of six charges.

He was first hauled to court in July and accused of jumping into the rhino enclosure on Dec 17 last year. He had posted a TikTok video of his backflip there, which has since been removed from his account.

Wee then allegedly “caused unnecessary pain and suffering” to a frog on Dec 24 last year at a Sentosa Cove home, by placing it on a foosball table and directing a ball at “high speed and force” towards it. 

It sustained injuries after being struck by the ball and died shortly afterwards, court documents stated. TODAY understands that the home was his friend’s place of residence.

Video clips from Instagram of what appears to be the same incident had also circulated online, showing a group of teenagers unboxing several live frogs and hitting a ball around on the table, with one frog trying to avoid being hit.

Wee’s other charges include mischief and vandalism. 

Court documents showed that he purportedly vandalised a bus-stop information panel along Sixth Avenue near the Bukit Timah Area at 2.40am on Oct 9 last year by hitting it. The damage amounted to S$900.

That same morning, he is said to have hit the side mirrors of two luxury cars — a BMW and a Mercedes-Benz — at the nearby Sixth Crescent.

The damage to the BMW totalled about S$1,669 and that for the Mercedes-Benz came to around S$2,793.

Last month, a warrant of arrest was issued against him. A police prosecutor then said that he had allegedly breached bail conditions by not showing up for urine tests at the Central Narcotics Bureau.

Wee will return to court on Nov 2 for a pre-trial conference.

Those convicted of consuming a specified drug can be jailed for at least a year and up to 10 years or fined up to S$20,000, or punished with both.

If convicted of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to the frog, he could be jailed for up to 1.5 years or fined up to S$15,000, or both.

Vandalism carries a maximum punishment of three years in jail and a fine of S$2,000. Offenders can also be caned.