Man gets 7-day detention for taking bus stop bench

The bus stop in Braddell Road from which Tan Ke Wei dismantled a grey metal bench. He then wrapped it in a garbage bag and took it home. He intended to renovate his new flat with a bus stop design concept.
The bus stop in Braddell Road from which Tan Ke Wei dismantled a grey metal bench. He then wrapped it in a garbage bag and took it home. He intended to renovate his new flat with a bus stop design concept. ST PHOTO: SYAZA NISRINA

A man who wanted to remake his new flat, so it resembled a bus stop, removed a grey metal bench from an actual stop in Braddell Road in June last year.

Tan Ke Wei, 22, took home the bench - valued at $1,500 - in a garbage bag.

He was sentenced to a seven-day short detention order yesterday after pleading guilty in August.

The incident occurred near midnight on June 14 last year when Tan was waiting for a bus.

He starting meddling with the bolts that secured the metal bench and managed to unscrew all eight.

Tan then dismantled the bench, wrapped it in a garbage bag and took a taxi home. The bench was hidden in a riser unit near his flat.

An anonymous informant told the police the next day that he had seen someone unscrewing the bench.

Police raided Tan's flat and he showed them the bag containing the bench.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ashraf Hassan said Tan had removed the bench because it looked nice and he wanted to check its dimensions.

DPP Hassan told the court that Tan had ordered a bench from a supplier as he intended to renovate his new flat with a bus stop design concept.

For committing mischief and causing loss or damage amounting to $500 or above, Tan could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 10, 2018, with the headline Man gets 7-day detention for taking bus stop bench. Subscribe