Cyclist jailed for obstructing NParks officer while trying to exit closed trail in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Although the NParks officers produced their staff passes, Marcus Lim Zhe Ming claimed they did not have the authority to obtain his identity particulars and tried to ride off.
Screengrab from Google Street View of the Hindhede Drive entrance to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
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SINGAPORE: A cyclist who tried to ride away when stopped by National Parks Board (NParks) officers at a closed trail in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was sentenced to seven days' jail on Wednesday (Jan 7) for injuring an officer while obstructing his duties.
Marcus Lim Zhe Ming, 40, was also fined S$1,000 (US$778) for a second charge of exiting from a non-designated point of exit at a nature reserve.
Two other charges for entering the closed trail along Hindhede Drive and refusing to provide his identity card were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that the trail, located along Hindhede Drive at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, had been closed to the public for at least six months in end-August 2023.
There was a "No Entry" sign put up, and orange netting barricaded the entrance of the closed trail.
At about 10.45am on Aug 30, 2023, two NParks officers saw several cyclists exiting from the closed trail on a closed-circuit television camera.
They went to the location to carry out enforcement work. One of the officers stopped two cyclists and spoke to them.
While this was ongoing, the other NParks officer spotted Lim exiting from the same closed trail.
The officer asked Lim to remain at the location, and he complied.
The three cyclists were told that they were not allowed to cycle at the closed trail and asked to provide their identity particulars.
Initially, the trio refused. Lim asked the NParks officers for their details, and the pair produced their NParks staff passes.
Despite this, Lim claimed that the officers did not have the authority to obtain their identity particulars.
While one of the officers explained the offences they had committed and said she had the powers under the law to ask for their particulars, Lim started to cycle away.
The other officer ran after him, demanding him to stop.
The officer grabbed the left handlebar of the bicycle, and Lim lost control of his bicycle.
The officer fell to the ground while holding onto the handlebar, and Lim fell off the bicycle but stayed on his feet.
Lim tried to lift his bicycle up, but the officer continued holding onto the handlebar and repeatedly asked him to stop.
Lim refused to comply, and there was a brief struggle.
At this point, the other NParks officer approached the pair and asked her colleague to let go.
On being freed, Lim immediately rode off with his bicycle and left the scene.
The NParks officer visited a doctor and was found to have abrasions on his elbow, forearm and knee, with bruises on his knee and a swollen toe.
When a statement was recorded from Lim in October 2023, he was questioned about the struggle with the officer and his escape.
Even though the officer was "simply executing his duty as an authorised officer" and his escaping led to the officer falling down, Lim maintained that he did not understand why the officer had to grab his handlebar as it was "a dangerous thing to do".
For hindering or obstructing an authorised officer or a park ranger in the execution of his duty, Lim could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
For leaving a nature reserve at a non-designated point of exit, he could have been fined up to S$2,000.
CNA has contacted NParks on whether the trail has since been reopened to the public.
