Habitual litterbug jailed 6 weeks for submitting false evidence in court
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
SINGAPORE – A litterbug, who has been convicted eight times in over 10 years,
Peh Choe Kong, 51, submitted photos and made false claims in an attempt to exculpate himself during his 2021 trial over a littering charge. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to intentionally giving false evidence in a judicial proceeding.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Joshua Phang said that in July 2020, Peh was caught throwing a cigarette butt onto the ground by two auxiliary police officers near Tampines 1 mall. Peh was charged with littering in a public place and he claimed trial.
He returned to the mall and had someone take photos of him throwing a cigarette butt into a makeshift container. The person was not identified in court documents. The person sent him the photos, which were taken with a mobile phone, via WhatsApp.
Peh’s trial took place across three days in April and May 2021. In the course of his defence, he printed the photos and tendered them as defence exhibits. On the back of each photo, he wrote “CCTV from Tampine one (sic) Command Centre” and added the date and time.
Peh claimed a security officer from the mall’s management provided the photos to him. He added that the photos were screenshots obtained from the mall’s closed-circuit television cameras on the day and at the scene of the alleged offence.
The photos were subsequently admitted as evidence.
DPP Phang said, in reality, Peh knew that the evidence he gave was false but made these claims to exculpate himself in relation to the charge.
At the close of the trial, Peh was convicted and fined $3,600.
In June 2021, a National Environment Agency inspector made a police report, stating that he had reason to believe Peh had given false evidence in court.
Seeking at least two months’ imprisonment, DPP Phang noted that where the false evidence in question is both material and causes significant mischief, courts have imposed sentences longer than six months.
He said: “In the present case, the false evidence in question is material, since it related directly to the elements of the charge, and as such, a sentence of at least several months’ imprisonment is warranted.”
But DPP Phang noted that the false evidence did not ultimately affect the outcome of the criminal matter, as Peh was convicted.
Defence lawyer Daniel Xu sought six weeks’ jail for his client, adding: “He did not really mislead the court as the court did not believe him in the end. And he was given an appropriate fine at that juncture.”
Those who intentionally give false evidence in court, or fabricate false evidence for it to be used in court, may be jailed for up to seven years and may be liable to a fine.
