Fined for kicking ATM door
PUBLISHED ONNovember 07, 2013 10:00 PMByElena Chong
A drunken cleaner took out his frustrations on an ATM machine when he was unable to withdraw money from it, a court heard.
Gopalan Segar, 46, kicked the door of the DBS machine repeatedly, and was heard by an auxiliary police officer who was nearby escorting an engineer making repairs to another ATM. The officer called the police when Gopalan ignored his requests to stop kicking it. On arrival they noticed Gopalan reeked of alcohol.
He was fined $3,500 on Tuesday; but as he cannot pay the fine, he will serve a default sentence of 14 days in jail.
The court heard he caused a dent and small crack in the ATM at Block 19 Ghim Moh Road on Oct 26, 2011. The damage cost $1,083.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Terence Szetoh Khai Hoe highlighted that Gopalan was not a first-time offender, having been in and out of prison many times - most recently in 2006 for causing grievous hurt.
He said Gopalan was drunk in a public place and did not pay compensation to the bank.
District Judge Christopher Goh took a second charge of abusing a special constable into consideration. Gopalan could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined for mischief.
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