Last teen in Toa Payoh rooftop vandalism case pleads guilty

Goh Rong Liang, 18, a cashier, admitted to four of five charges - one of spraying graffiti on the walls atop Block 85A Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, stealing four cans of spray paint and two of trespassing at the HDB rooftop and Marina Bay Suites last year. --
Goh Rong Liang, 18, a cashier, admitted to four of five charges - one of spraying graffiti on the walls atop Block 85A Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, stealing four cans of spray paint and two of trespassing at the HDB rooftop and Marina Bay Suites last year. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN

SINGAPORE - The last teen involved in the Toa Payoh rooftop vandalism case pleaded guilty in a Community Court on Monday.

Goh Rong Liang, 18, a cashier, admitted to four of five charges - one of spraying graffiti on the walls atop Block 85A Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, stealing four cans of spray paint and two of trespassing at the HDB rooftop and Marina Bay Suites last year.

One of the five, David William Graaskov, 18, has been placed on 15 months' probation.

Although Graaskov agreed with his friends - Goh, Reagan Tan Chang Zhi, Chay Nam Shen and Boaz Koh Wen Jie, all 18 - to spray the rooftop of Block 85A, he did not join them as he left the group at 11.50pm on May 6 to catch the last bus home.

The rest then proceeded to the rooftop to spray graffiti with indelible spray paint they had stolen earlier.

Tan and Chay are expected to be sentenced on March 2, pending pre-sentence reports. Koh has been remanded pending progress and reformative training reports on Feb 18.

The court heard that the group, who adopted the name Mikecool, stole four cans of spray paint worth $12 from a lorry at the carpark infront of Block 54 Lorong 5 at about 11.45pm on May 6.

It was then suggested that they should go and "spray'' the rooftop of Block 85A. Goh, Tan, Chay and Koh managed to trespass onto the rooftop by climbing through a gap between the walls.

After they had waited for about 10 minutes, they started to vandalise the wall panels by spraying expletives and graffiti, which cost $129 to repaint.

Koh got rid of the cans of spray paint by throwing them down a rubbish chute of an unknown block.

Further investigation showed that Koh and his friends also trespassed into the rooftop of an upmarket condominium at Marina Bay Sands on March 29.

Goh's lawyer Aqbal Singh said his client, whose father died in 2013, has dyslexia, which went undiagnosed. He under-performed at the Primary School Leaving Examination and had attended Northlight School. Counsel said the teen is getting help and was very sorry for what he has done.

District Judge Lim Keng Yeow called for a pre-sentence report for probation on March 12.

The maximum penalty for vandalism is a $2,000 fine or three years' jail plus three to eight strokes of the cane. For criminal trespass, the maximum is three months' jail and a $1,500 fine.

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