Jail for man who fled Singapore after 2019 rash act linked to burn victim but was caught in 2025

SINGAPORE – A man fled Singapore after committing several offences in 2016 and 2019, including an act linked to one of his victims who suffered burns that needed skin grafts.

Toh Wei Tiong left the country in August 2019, and was arrested when he returned here in 2025.

Now 45, he was sentenced to 10 months’ jail on Jan 7 after he pleaded guilty to one count each of assault, performing a rash act that could endanger human life, criminal intimidation and being part of an unlawful assembly.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhou Yang said Toh and two other men – Donovan Doran Chung Yi Peng and an unnamed friend of Chung’s – went to the burn victim’s workplace in Eunos in the early hours of Aug 24, 2019.

Chung had a prior disagreement with the victim, the court heard.

The DPP said: “Donovan took one can (of sealant spray) which was next to where the victim was (in a workshop), sprayed it onto a large area towards the victim and used his lighter to ignite the emitted substance.

“The victim’s clothes (caught) fire. At around the same time... (Toh) took another can and did the same with his own lighter... The workshop also caught fire.”

At around 1.45am, the victim ran to a restroom to splash water on himself to put out the fire on his trousers.

Toh and Chung’s friend followed the victim, who fell to the ground. The friend used some cloth to put out the flames.

Chung then scolded the victim before he, Toh and the friend left the vicinity.

Meanwhile, members of the public who spotted smoke coming out of the workshop helped to put out the fire.

One of them alerted the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the victim was taken to Singapore General Hospital. He had to undergo skin grafts for burns on his left calf, feet and left hand.

Toh and Chung left Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint later that morning.

Toh, who went to an undisclosed location, finally returned on May 2, 2025, and was arrested soon after. Court documents did not state why he returned to Singapore.

Chung, now 36, had gone to Thailand, where he was detained by police officers there in August 2024 over an undisclosed matter.

The Singapore authorities arrested him after he was sent back here on Aug 28 that year, and his case is pending.

In an unrelated case, the court heard that Toh was working for Elitez Car Rental when he criminally intimidated a 33-year-old customer.

On July 19, 2016, the victim went to the company’s office and paid $65 to rent a car, which had an “immobiliser” that could stop the vehicle from moving.

He was driving two of his friends from Little India to Bukit Batok later that day when the car stalled.

The DPP said: “(Toh and two men) alighted from two vehicles which were tailing the victim’s vehicle. They identified themselves as staff from Elitez Car Rental and told the victim that he had breached a rental agreement by allowing another person to drive the vehicle.”

However, the court heard that the victim had not allowed anyone else to drive the car.

Despite this, the trio escorted the victim to the company’s MacPherson Road office and told him to fork out $2,823 for “damages”.

The three men also threatened to damage the victim’s property if he failed to comply.

The victim, who realised that Toh had remotely shut down the car earlier, later paid $3,000 in cash to Elitez Car Rental.

Separately, Toh was also involved in debt collecting activities when he became a member of an unlawful assembly.

On Dec 12, 2016, he joined a group of people to confront a 52-year-old real estate agent who had purportedly borrowed €24,000 (S$36,000) from a woman.

The group confronted the man while he was working at a show-flat near Alexandra Road.

A 28-year-old woman, who was a member of the group, then shouted at the man, referred to as “the complainant” in court documents.

DPP Zhou said: “She told the complainant that she would tell the police that he... had molested her and that she would repeatedly visit the show-flat to pressure him into paying the sum.”

Toh also confronted the complainant and repeatedly shouted at him.

The man denied taking a loan from the woman, the court heard.

The harassment lasted around 40 minutes and the group dispersed when police arrived at the scene.

In another case, an intoxicated Toh hurled vulgarities at a 34-year-old man and assaulted him in Upper Serangoon Road on March 16, 2019.

The victim sought treatment at a hospital and was given one day of outpatient sick leave.