S$5,000 fine for man who set off fireworks near HDB flats in Yishun
Noor Azhar Abdul Abas, 40, arrives at the State Courts on May 28, 2024. (Photo: TODAY/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
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SINGAPORE: A man who set off a box containing 25 shots of fireworks near a block of flats in Yishun last month was handed a S$5,000 (US$3,700) fine on Tuesday (May 28).
Noor Azhar Abdul Abas, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of discharging dangerous fireworks.
The incident took place at a grass patch near Block 644 Yishun Street 61 on April 9, the eve of Hari Raya Puasa, at about 10.40pm.
An eight-second video of the incident posted by a resident was uploaded onto social media platform TikTok, which showed the fireworks going off in the housing estate. The video has since been taken down.
No injuries were reported.
WHAT HAPPENED
The court heard that in March this year, Noor Azhar bought a box of containing 25 tubes of fireworks labelled “Happy Boom Shoot” from an unknown person in the Geylang area.
He planned to use them during the Hari Raya Puasa celebrations the following month.
On the eve of Hari Raya, he discharged the fireworks at the grass patch in Yishun, with the fireworks hitting about 10-storeys high and lasting for about two minutes. Court documents did not state if this grass patch was near Noor Azhar's home.
Due to the commotion and spectacle caused by the discharge of the fireworks, members of the public became alarmed and called the police, who managed to trace Noor Azhar through surveillance cameras in the area.
The remains of the fireworks were then seized for analysis.
Two video clips of the act were played in court.
On Tuesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Yew sought a S$5,000 fine as punishment. DPP Yew told the court that Noor Azhar’s actions had caused unnecessary alarm to residents, adding that there was an element of premeditation.
During his mitigation plea, Noor Azhar said that he was deeply remorseful for his actions, which was “carried out without thinking”.
Under the Dangerous Fireworks Act, it is an offence to possess, sell, transport, deliver, distribute, import or discharge any dangerous fireworks in Singapore.
For his offence, Noor Azhar could have been jailed for up to two years, fined between S$2,000 and S$10,000, or both.
This article was originally published in TODAY.
