'Killer litter' teen sentenced to probation, community service
A man in handcuffs. Photo: Reuters
SINGAPORE — In just 10 months, the bulky items he has flung down his HDB block include a 5kg dumbbell, a brick, two ceramic tiles, a water dispenser and a bicycle wheel.
In two of these instances between August 2013 and May last year, the actions of the 16-year-old, who suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder, injured passers-by.
Today (March 9), Abdul Hamid Rahman was sentenced to three years’ probation, imposed with a curfew from 9pm to 6am, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. He must also undergo psychiatric and psychological treatment.
His probation term includes a one-year stint in the Singapore Boys’ Hostel, and his parents had to furnish a S$8,000 bond.
The court heard that on May 16 last year, a 67-year-old retiree was seriously injured after the teen launched a bicycle wheel from the 14th floor of Block 1, Eunos Crescent, using a bent paper card as a spring. Abdual Hamid was then out on police bail for previous similar offences.
The wheel fell on Mdm Mahani Abdullah’s head, who had to undergo emergency spinal surgery. She died less than a month later from sepsis due to urinary tract infection.
Abdul Hamid said he launched the wheel that day to vent anger over his parents’ incessant nagging.
On Dec 13, 2013, Abdul Hamid hurled a brick from the 12th story of the block, causing Mr Kyi Phyu Phyo Wai, 25, to break his right finger. He faced charges of causing grievous hurt for these offences.
Two months earlier, the teenager threw two ceramic tiles from the 11th floor, pushed a 5kg dumbbell off the parapet at the 13th floor and hung a water dispenser over the 12th floor parapet using a rope.
For his charges for causing grievous hurt, Abdul Hamid faced a maximum sentence of up to four years in jail, and/or a fine of up to S$10,000. For acting rashly or negligently and endangering others, he faced a maximum of six months in jail, and/or up to S$2,500 in fines.
In sentencing Abdul Hamid, the district judge took into consideration his age, adding that a “suitable regime and environment for treatment and rehabilitation” was necessary.
