Man gets jail, caning for graffiti with reference to 'hacktivist' group Anonymous

SINGAPORE - A full-time national serviceman was sentenced to two months in jail and three strokes of the cane on Friday, for an act of vandalism that included a reference to 'hacktivist' group Anonymous.

Mohamad Fadzly Aziz, 21, was one of five men brought to court last November for various vandalism charges. He had admitted to keeping a lookout as Muhammad Qamarul Arifin Sa'adon spray-painted "WE ARE ONE WE ARE LEGION EXPECT US!!" on the pavement outside Sunshine Plaza along Prinsep Link at around 4am on Nov 5 last year. The words are styled in a similar way to messages from Anonymous.

The same graffiti was sprayed on a pillar nearby, and a section of pavement along Waterloo Street was also vandalised. Two charges arising for these were taken into consideration.

Qamarul, a former firefighter, received the same punishment as Fadzly on Aug 7.

Designer Muhammad Redzwan Baskin, 26, was earlier this week given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal plus a conditional warning. Muhammad Fitri Abu Kasim, 25, unemployed, was also dealt with in a similar way as Redzwan.

The case of freelance DJ Danial Ryan Salleh, 25, is still pending at the pre-trial conference stage.

The prescribed penalty for vandalism is up to three years' jail or up to $2,000 in fines, and between three and eight strokes of the cane.

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