Jail for man who created ruckus at 2 temples, assaulted supervisor at FairPrice outlet
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SINGAPORE - A man who went to two temples on separate occasions to get free food ended up creating a ruckus at both places of worship.
Teo Kiat Siong, 49, was sentenced to five weeks’ jail on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to one count each of assault, harassment and criminal trespass.
He went to the Central Sikh Gurdwara in Towner Road near Serangoon Road on Jan 2, 2023, as it was serving free food to devotees and members of the public.
He tried to get more food after eating one serving, but temple volunteers told him he would have to wait for other people to obtain their share before he could get another helping.
Instead of waiting for his turn, Teo flew into a rage and stated yelling. He also abused a temple manager with vulgar language and challenged him to a fight.
On May 20, 2023, Teo went to the Sri Manmatha Karuneshvarar Temple in Kallang Road as the place of worship for Hindus was also serving free food at the time.
When its manager saw Teo taking a lot of food, he became concerned there might not be enough for everyone there. He tried to reason with Teo who became angry and shouted at him.
Teo pushed the man and challenged him to a fight. The manager alerted the police and officers arrived soon after to arrest Teo.
In an unrelated incident, Teo assaulted a supervisor at a FairPrice supermarket outlet in Geylang in November 2022 after he failed to exchange a voucher for cash.
The supervisor, who had rejected the voucher, suffered pain after Teo punched him but did not seek medical attention.
On Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh urged the court to sentence Teo to between five and six weeks’ jail.
A report from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) noted that Teo had delusional disorder (persecutory type) when he committed the offence at the Sri Manmatha Karuneshvarar Temple, he added.
DPP Koh told the court the disorder had impaired his exercise of self-control and there was a contributory link between his condition and the commission of the offence.
“While an MTO (mandatory treatment order) is an available option, it would not be appropriate considering the high likelihood of breach of such an order,” he said.
“The same IMH report states that there is a high risk of reoffending and the accused lacks insight into his illness and the need for treatment.”
DPP Koh also said that Teo had been observed to be resistant to treatment and has a history of absconding from hospital.
Offenders given an MTO have to undergo treatment to address their mental conditions in lieu of time behind bars.
