NUS student fined for putting green beans into car tyre valves to deflate them

SINGAPORE: A National University of Singapore (NUS) student inserted green beans into the tyre valves of seven cars to deflate them, as he wanted to make ownership of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) unattractive.

Benjamin Chia Yit Loong, a 24-year-old Singaporean, was fined S$3,000 (US$2,300) by a court on Thursday (Nov 6) for one count of mischief.

The court heard that Chia was interested in climate change and environmental issues, and wished to make SUV ownership unattractive.

He decided to deflate the tyres of cars parked near his house, and to leave on the cars flyers about the environmental damage caused by SUVs.

At around 10am on Nov 19, 2024, Chia bought a packet of green beans and took them with him to two multistorey car parks at Blocks 519A and 517A, Woodlands Drive 14.

Over about two hours, Chia deflated the tyres of seven cars by unscrewing their tyre caps, placing green beans inside the tyre valves and closing the caps.

He deflated all the tyres of the first car but subsequently deflated only one to two tyres of the rest. He left flyers on the windshields headlined "Attention - your gas guzzler kills."

When one of the car owners drove his vehicle to a petrol station to reinflate the tyres, the vehicle scraped against the kerb of the car park lot and scratched the rear spat.

Repairs cost S$380. Chia compensated the victim the full sum voluntarily.

The prosecutor sought a fine, leaving the quantum to the court, noting that the damage caused was minor and that Chia had made voluntary compensation and had no prior convictions.

CHIA AFFECTED BY IDEAS IN MODULE, EXAM STRESS

Chia's lawyers, Mr Anil Singh Sandhu and Mr Nurhan Sufi, sought a fine of between S$1,500 and S$2,500.

Mr Anil said in his mitigation plea that Chia is in his final year of a Physics undergraduate programme at NUS. He added that Chia was a model student, consistently doing well academically.

An elective in August 2024, presenting a critical view of a country's environmental history and teaching that individual actions like recycling were not enough to meaningfully address the climate crisis, left a lasting impression on Chia, wrote the defence.

The incident occurred during the university's official "reading week", a one-week break prior to examinations and when there were no formal classes or structured activities.

Feeling unoccupied and emotionally unsettled due to the absence of routine, as well as the examination stress, and influenced by the ideas from the module, Chia began researching alternative forms of environmental action online.

He came across the "Tyre Extinguishers" website, which described SUVs as dangerous and potentially harmful, encouraging its readers to take action. 

It also provided step-by-step instructions on how to deflate SUV tyres using a small bean and included downloadable leaflets to be placed on affected vehicles, said Mr Anil.

Chia believed this conduct to be "non-violent and not unlawful", said the lawyer.

He said Chia was deeply shaken following his arrest and realised that his conduct, however well-intentioned, was unlawful and misguided.

He began going for therapy after the incident and has taken steps to direct his energy towards positive causes, said Mr Anil.

Chia is deeply remorseful and has written a letter of apology to the victims, on top of voluntarily compensating the vehicle owners.

An NUS spokesperson previously said that the university would take the necessary disciplinary action following court proceedings.

In an update on Saturday, NUS said that it will be taking the outcome of the court proceedings into consideration as part of a disciplinary inquiry involving Chia.

The penalties for mischief are a jail term of up to two years, fine, or both. As Chia's charge was amalgamated, with multiple instances of the offence, he could have faced up to double the penalties.