Jail for man who started fire in front of HDB flat after dispute

SINGAPORE - A man who created a ruckus outside a Housing Board flat shortly past midnight on May 8, 2022, started a fire at the doorstep when the occupants did not open the front door.

One of the occupants of the unit in Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, Mr Dharam R.D., alerted the police, who arrived soon after and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.

The offender, Patrick Francis, 50, was sentenced to 13 days’ jail on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to a mischief charge.

Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu said that Patrick’s act of arson could have easily got out of control and caused damage to not just the unit, but also the entire block.

The DPP added: “It was entirely fortuitous that the police put out the fire before matters got worse.

“Given that the majority of Singaporeans live in HDB apartments similar to the unit, there is a need to impose a sufficiently stiff custodial sentence to deter other persons from emulating the accused’s behaviour.”

According to court documents, Mr Dharam, 63, and his girlfriend, Ms Tang Yee Peng, 50, had known Patrick and his family for about six years prior to 2022.

Ms Tang had asked for a small space in another flat occupied by Patrick’s mother to accommodate a prayer altar.

Court documents did not disclose the reasons behind the request but Patrick’s family agreed to it.

This agreement continued until Ms Tang had to return to Malaysia when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020.

Patrick’s family continued to maintain the altar during her absence.

Ms Tang returned to Singapore on May 7, 2022, after the pandemic lockdown ended, and found that a lock on the altar had been changed.

She then confronted Patrick’s mother over the matter, angering Patrick.

Shortly after midnight on May 8, 2022, he went to the couple’s flat with his mother, knocked on their door and started yelling in Tamil.

The couple did not open the door but merely looked at Patrick through a peephole. The offender’s mother later returned home as she was tired.

Frustrated by the lack of response, Patrick went down to the first floor of the block, walked to a refuse chute and picked up a brown glass bottle labelled “kerosene”.

He then returned to the couple’s flat and poured some liquid from the bottle onto the doorstep.

After that, Patrick took out a lighter and ignited the liquid before leaving the scene. He also discarded the bottle at a nearby grass patch.

Mr Dharam, who saw the fire, alerted the police, and the flames were put out soon after.

The police recovered the bottle and Patrick’s fingerprints were found on it.

Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force also arrived at the scene.

They found that the lower section of the main door and an umbrella placed in the area were directly damaged by the fire.

Places such as the lower section of the main gate, floor tiles and the interior of the main door sustained varying degrees of heat and smoke damage.

As a result of the fire, Mr Dharam had to repaint the unit’s metal gate, while HDB replaced the main wooden door at no cost to him.

He also had to get rid of several items damaged by the blaze, but was unable to quantify the damage caused.

The DPP said that Patrick had recently paid $1,000 in compensation to Mr Dharam.

Defence lawyer N. Divanan had pleaded for his client to be given a big fine. And if this were not possible, he asked for the court to sentence Patrick to no more than 10 days’ jail.

The lawyer had said the actual damage caused was relatively minor, and that the fire was within the perimeter of the gate.

For mischief, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined.