Man gets 2.5 years’ jail for setting Boon Lay fire that caused 'extensive damage' to vehicles

SINGAPORE — Bored and drunk on several cans of beer, Loh Hsien Aik spotted a motorcycle at an open-air car park in Boon Lay and decided to set its seat on fire with his lighter.

Little did he know that the blaze would spread to four other motorcycles and a BMW car. All but one of them were damaged beyond repair.

Video footage of the fire, which happened in the early hours of Oct 17 last year, was posted online.

On Wednesday (July 10), the 33-year-old unemployed man was sentenced to 2.5 years’ jail for his actions. He pleaded guilty to one charge of committing mischief by fire, while District Judge Shaifuddin Saruwan took another charge of attempting to do the same thing into consideration for sentencing.

In mitigation, Loh’s lawyer Anand Shankar Tiwari told the court that Loh committed the offence “only because he felt bored”, and did not intend to set anything on fire when he went to the car park. He had a lighter on him as he was a regular smoker.

“He did not act with any malice or ill intention… My client did not even imagine setting fire to the seat of a single motorcycle would lead to a fire that large,” the lawyer added.

Mr Tiwari — who represented Loh pro bono — sought a jail term of two to six months for his client, which District Judge Shaifuddin said was manifestly inadequate.

Meanwhile, Deputy Public Prosecutor Suhas Malhotra asked for a much higher sentence of 30 to 36 months’ imprisonment, citing the “very extensive” damage caused and Loh’s failure to call the authorities when he realised the fire had grown.

The court heard that Loh was intoxicated at about 12.50am that evening. He was walking around the open-air car park at Block 221 Boon Lay Place, outside Boon Lay Shopping Centre, when he felt the urge to set something on fire.

He burned the seat of a motorcycle, then walked away. When he turned around, a blaze had erupted and was beginning to spread to the neighbouring motorcycles. The side of the BMW car had caught fire as well.

He lingered nearby and watched the fire, but did not call the police or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Another man having dinner at a nearby coffee shop did so instead.

When SCDF firefighters arrived, the fire had engulfed six vehicles in total. One vehicle managed to escape the blaze with only a charred side, but the others were extensively damaged.

The total damage caused by the fire came up to S$103,244. Only about a third — S$34,237 — was recovered through insurance payouts.

Loh was arrested the next day after police investigations.

For committing mischief by fire, he could have been jailed up to seven years and fined.