Chinese national convicted for 'attacking' 2 buses after having several beers

SINGAPORE - After drinking seven cans of beer at home, a construction worker headed to a Woodlands depot where he targeted two buses and caused $6,200 in damage.

He removed the windscreen wiper of one bus, and yanked out a side mirror of the other vehicle, among other acts.

On Monday (Nov 15), Zhu Honglu, 32, a Chinese national, was convicted in court of causing mischief.

A second charge of causing annoyance in a public place while drunk was taken into consideration.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir told the court that Zhu stood in the middle of the road outside the bus depot in Woodlands Industrial Park at about 1.30am on Nov 22 last year.

He shouted as he ran towards an SMRT bus that was returning to the depot.

He targeted the windscreen wiper of the bus - which had stopped - and knocked on the windscreen.

DPP Hidayat said: "(Zhu) managed to remove the wiper. He then attempted to pull open the bus doors but failed."

Zhu left after some time.

About 20 minutes later, he suddenly walked in front of another bus that was being driven into the depot. The driver immediately stopped the vehicle, and was shouted at by Zhu.

He managed to remove the side mirror and used it to hit the windscreen, causing several scratches.

He then kicked the door to try to open it. When he failed to do so, Zhu pulled apart the rubber seal attached to the door.

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A staff member from the SMRT operations office called the police.

Although no damage was caused to the first bus, DPP Hidayat said the other suffered damage - including to its windscreen and mirror - that needed repairs totalling $6,200.

Zhu made full restitution to SMRT on Sept 6 this year.

DPP Hidayat asked for a three to five weeks' jail sentence

Zhu, who was present in court, was represented by lawyer Cheryl Ng who asked for a fine of $4,000. In her mitigation plea, she said the act was impulsive and that the damage done was reversible.

She added that her client had cooperated with the police and did not have a history of offences.

Citing past cases, she said Zhu's offence did not meet the threshold for a custodial sentence.

District Judge Wong Li Tein asked for further submissions from the prosecution and the case will be heard on Nov 22.

For causing mischief, Zhu can be jailed up to two years, fined or both.

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