Man spotted riding motorcycle in the nude ordered to undergo treatment in lieu of jail time

Man spotted riding motorcycle in the nude ordered to undergo treatment in lieu of jail time
PHOTO: The Straits Times, Screengrab/Facebook

SINGAPORE - A man who was found naked in public places and spotted riding a motorcycle in the nude was on Thursday (May 5) given a mandatory treatment order for two years.

This means Yeo Qi Wei, 25, will undergo treatment for his mental condition in lieu of jail time.

In an earlier proceeding, the court heard that Yeo, who has a degree in banking and finance, was referred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) during investigations into the case and was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li had told the court: "While the IMH psychiatrist assessed the accused to be not of unsound mind at the time of the offences, he also opined that the accused's bipolar affective disorder had a substantive contributory link to his offending behaviour.

"The accused was assessed (to have) a low risk of offending and recommended for close follow-up with psychiatric services."

On March 11, Yeo pleaded guilty to two counts of appearing nude in public and one count of criminal trespass.

Five other charges were considered during sentencing. He committed all of his offences on June 9 and 10 last year.

Eyewitnesses took photos and recorded videos of him when he was in the buff and these went viral on the Internet.

Yeo entered Singapore Shopping Centre in Clemenceau Avenue at around 12.30am on June 9 last year.

When approached, he told a security guard that he was going to the fifth storey for a massage.

The guard went to a security counter and continued to observe Yeo through a closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitor. He saw that Yeo had gone to the fourth storey.

The guard, who followed him there, then heard a loud sound. He saw Yeo inside one of the units and it had a damaged door.

DPP Li had said: "The accused did not respond to the complainant. The complainant then returned to the security counter to call the police. The accused then left the building.

"The accused was captured on CCTV forcing open the door to the unit and damaging it. The CCTV also captured the accused entering the premises, connecting his laptop to a TV and watching something on it for a while before eventually leaving the premises after the complainant came."

In another incident, a man was sitting in his vehicle in a carpark in Toa Payoh on the morning of June 10 when he saw Yeo walking towards him, clad in only his underwear.

Yeo took off the garment and climbed onto the man's vehicle. Soon after, a naked Yeo rode away on his motorcycle which was parked nearby.

He left his underwear on the man's vehicle, the court heard.

Later that morning, another eyewitness in Choa Chu Kang saw Yeo naked and he appeared to be touching his private parts at a staircase landing of a block of flats.

The DPP said that between 5.43am and 3.36pm on June 10, the police received eight reports involving Yeo being naked in public places.

DPP Li had earlier said that Yeo had likely experienced symptoms of a manic episode for about a week prior to June 10 last year.

For each count of appearing nude in a public place, an offender can be jailed for up to three months and fined up to $2,000.

For criminal trespass, an offender can be jailed for up to three months and fined up to $1,500.

This article was first published in The Straits TimesPermission required for reproduction.

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