Six months' jail for mischief by fire

A 21-year-old jobless man thought he was helping a childhood friend get back at someone when he set a fire outside an HDB flat in Bishan early this year.

Manikandan R. Gunasegaran, who was out on bail at the time, covered his head so that he would not be caught in the act by cameras. Despite his efforts, he was nabbed.

Yesterday, he was sentenced to six months' jail for committing mischief by fire. It will run after his current term for unlicensed moneylending ends in May next year.

Some time after midnight on Jan 18, Gunasegaran set fire to paper he had doused with petrol outside the flat, ostensibly to help a childhood friend who had a grudge against one of the flat's occupants.

The fire damage to the surrounding area was estimated at $915.

Gunasegaran said in mitigation that he has plans to further his studies and that prison counsellors are helping him.

Ex-law firm worker faces OSA offences

A former legal executive of a law firm received contact particulars of informants linked to road accidents from a Traffic Police clerk, a court heard yesterday.

Gulzar Raja Singh Sandhu, 71, is alleged to have unlawfully obtained contact details 24 times from Khatijah A. Manap, 63, who used to work at the Traffic Police investigation branch.

Court documents did not say what Raja, a former employee of Clifford Law, did with the information.

He faces 24 counts of offences under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and eight corruption charges involving $2,500.

Raja allegedly got the information from Khatijah between 2010 and 2013. He is also accused of giving her between $200 and $500 in bribes for the information.

Khatijah was jailed for 18 weeks on July 27, 2016, after admitting to three graft charges and five of wrongful communication of information to Raja.

Raja will be back in court on May 28.