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SINGAPORE: A 39-year-old Singaporean has been sentenced to six weeks' jail for trespassing on the island of Pedra Branca. He is believed to be the first person to be prosecuted for illegally entering the island.
In his mitigation plea, Lee Roger said getting to Pedra Branca was his chance to return to Singapore as he had been cheated by a friend of his money and identification papers when he was on the Indonesian island of Batam 10 years ago.
Unable to leave Indonesia, he eventually settled down in Tanjung Uban, Bintan, got married and even had a son. But things fell apart and he wanted to return to Singapore.
With the equivalent of only about S$13 in Indonesian rupiah, he hired a motorised sampan to take him to Pedra Branca on February 5 this year.
Roger had heard fishermen speak of being rescued by Singapore patrol boats when they were lost at sea. He, instead, ended up being arrested when he set foot on the island.
He was charged with entering Singapore illegally via an unauthorised landing point. Another charge of being in a protected place without a permit was also taken into consideration during sentencing.
Roger's defence lawyer, Patrick Tan, said: "He had hoped for a fine, but (the) court has sentenced him to six weeks' imprisonment. Of course, he's not happy, but he's prepared to accept and serve his sentence with dignity."
Throughout the session, Roger was calm and his face was impassive even as the judgement was passed. He is now out on a S$10,000 bail.
The judge has granted him time to settle personal matters and to take two tests, which Roger said he needed to undergo to become a qualified optician. He must, thereafter, appear in court on November 21 for the start of his sentence.
- CNA/so
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