SINGAPORE – Five years after SMRT Bishan Depot was broken into and vandalised, footage of the crime has surfaced on Facebook.
The vandals who broke into SMRT’s Bishan Depot in 2011 have been identified as two graffiti artists from America, Jim Harper and Danielle Bremner, who go by the monikers Utah and Ether respectively.
Photo: Utah and Ether Facebook
The duo documented a series of videos, titled “Probation Vacation: Lost in Asia”, which was shared on The Grifters, a Facebook page which bills itself as a society and culture website.
Harper’s and Bremner’s break-in in Singapore featured on the fifth episode of the series was published on April 29, 2016.
The other episodes highlighted their break-ins in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and India.
The video unravelled the answers which authorities had tried to find years ago.
From the footage, the camera zoomed in to the warning sign before panning out immediately to show someone cutting open the fence.
The pair were then filmed spray painting the word “Jet Setter’s” on a train carriage.
Police told AsiaOne that they are investigating and will release a statement later tonight (July 14).
According to media reports, Harper was finally arrested in Australia. He was sentenced in May for eight charges relating to graffiti and assault. Bremner is currently on the run.
Dailymail reported that the duo have defaced walls and trains in over thirty countries across five continents.
The 2011 case was the second of its kind in Singapore, stumping authorities and members of the public alike.
When news of it first broke, it wasn’t so much of the nature of the crime that shocked many, it was the fact that it had happened again.
Following the break-in, The Land Transport Authority slapped SMRT with a hefty $200,000 fine.
The vandals were never caught, and SMRT’s problems were far from over.
The first break-in occurred in 2010 at Changi Depot. Swiss national Oliver Fricker was arrested and jailed for seven months, while his partner,
British national Lloyd Dane Alexander remains at large. For that incident, SMRT was fined $50,000.
The latest case which happened in Nov 2014, again targeted Bishan Depot. This time, two Germans were caught and jailed for nine months.
debwong@sph.com.sg
