3 men charged over alleged vandalism, damage of business rivals’ ads at Toa Payoh HDB blocks
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Joo Tat Chong, 51, Lee Sai Koon, 75, and Kevin Lee Wei Qiang, 38, were handed multiple vandalism and mischief charges.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
- Three men, Joo Tat Chong, Lee Sai Koon, and Kevin Lee Wei Qiang, face vandalism and mischief charges for damaging business rivals' advertisements in Toa Payoh.
- Motivated by business rivalry, the men allegedly pasted stickers and used pen knives to cut competitors' advertisements in HDB lifts and lobbies in August 2025.
- Lee Sai Koon faces additional charges for spraying paint on a noticeboard and using abusive language towards a public servant in Ang Mo Kio.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Three men who allegedly pasted advertisement stickers and damaged their business rivals’ ads in various common areas in a Toa Payoh HDB estate were hauled to court on Jan 27.
Joo Tat Chong, 51, Lee Sai Koon, 75, and Kevin Lee Wei Qiang, 38, were handed multiple vandalism and mischief charges. The elder Lee was given an additional charge of using abusive words on a public service worker.
Police said on Jan 26 that between August and September 2025, they were alerted to multiple cases of vandalism where advertisements were pasted in lifts, on doors and along the common corridors of Blocks 403A and 402B Lorong 1 Toa Payoh.
Officers from Tanglin Police Division established the three men’s identities on Sept 3 through follow-up investigations and CCTV images.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the acts were allegedly motivated by business rivalry, with the individuals also allegedly damaging each other’s advertisements,” said the police.
According to business records, Joo is the director of Star Origin, a building equipment installation firm, and had several businesses in the past, including a curtain-making company.
Kevin Lee was the former owner of information technology and computer service firm Xtremenetworking, and handicrafts and gifts wholesale firm Gift A Thought, among other companies.
Lee Sai Koon currently owns two wholesale trade companies, Lee Tong Sheng and Tong Sheng Impex.
The three men’s charge sheets state that they committed the acts, which damaged public property, in August 2025.
Joo, who faces seven charges, allegedly pasted advertisement stickers in the lifts and lobbies of Housing Board blocks and used a penknife to cut his rivals’ stickers on Aug 26 and 27.
On Aug 27, Joo and Kevin Lee purportedly used black stickers to cover their competitors’ ads, and used a penknife to cut the ads inside HDB lifts, lift lobbies and riser doors.
Kevin Lee, who faces three charges, is also said to have used a penknife to deface ad stickers on various HDB doors.
Also on Aug 27, Lee Sai Koon allegedly affixed ad stickers in similar areas in Toa Payoh with an individual called Lin Yaying.
Lee Sai Koon, who faces five charges in total, also allegedly used a penknife to cut his competitors’ stickers.
Court documents did not state if Lin Yaying will face charges, or what Lin’s relationship is with Lee Sai Koon.
Lee Sai Koon is also said to have sprayed black paint on the notice board at the lift lobby of Block 246A Ang Mo Kio Street 21 on June 29.
On Aug 23, 2025, he allegedly hurled abusive words in English and Hokkien at a public service worker at the drop-off point beside Block 246B Ang Mo Kio Street 21. Charge sheets did not state the occupation of the worker.
The offence of mischief carries a maximum jail term of two years, a fine, or both. Those convicted of vandalism with common intention may be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to three years and given three to eight strokes of the cane.
Joo and Lee Sai Koon cannot be caned as they are above 50.
