SINGAPORE: A 60-year-old man was fined S$3,600 on Monday (Nov 6) for committing mischief by sticking toothpicks in the seats of public buses on four occasions this year.
Lim Lye Seng was also ordered to pay S$325.91, the cost of damage to a seat he punctured with three toothpicks on Aug 4.
Lim, a landscape technician, pleaded guilty to two counts of mischief last month.
He admitted to sticking toothpicks in bus seats four times between July and August as a prank and because he was bored, a district court heard.
A passenger took this picture of the toothpicks on the SBS bus and posted it online. (Photo: Shervella Wong/Facebook)
Deputy Public Prosecutor Rimplejit Kaur had sought a jail term or a fine of S$1,500 for each charge.
Though no one was hurt by Lim’s so-called prank, “the court should not condone this kind of behavior”, she said.
Lim’s “distasteful” prank shows “a warped sense of entertainment”, and should not be taken lightly, the prosecutor added.
District Judge Lim Keng Yeow said he had decided not to sentence Lim to jail, “but not because I think your actions are acceptable or excusable”, he told Lim.
The punishment for mischief is up to one year’s jail, a fine or both.
