It's raining toys - and more at this condo backyard

Businessman Edward Lee has found toys, batteries, books, as well as used condoms and sanitary pads in the backyard of his ground-floor apartment.

He also once found a metal spoon lodged in a canvas umbrella outside his home in Tropica, a condominium in Tampines.

Investigations by the police and condominium management revealed that a two-year-old toddler living in the unit above his home was the culprit.

The littering, however, has not stopped: 30 toys rained down on Mr Lee's backyard last Friday. He made a video of the falling toys and posted it on the Internet.

"Fortunately, we were not sitting in the garden, or we could be in ICU (intensive care unit) by now," he said, alluding to the 67-year-old woman who went into a coma and later died last Friday. This, after she was struck by a bicycle wheel thrown out of a 14th-floor HDB flat in Eunos last month by a teenage boy.

The condo management yesterday confirmed a letter has been sent to owners of the culprit's apartment to remind them not to litter. Installing CCTV cameras to monitor high-rise littering in the estate is also being considered.

The National Environment Agency has caught 95 people on camera littering from high-rise residences between August 2012 and March this year.

Mr Lee, who lives with his wife, said he feels his is just a case of killer litter waiting to happen.

He told The Straits Times on Wednesday that in the past year, plastic and metal toys have been found in his garden. Other items include batteries and books. He found the used condoms and sanitary pads in his backyard around September last year.

Mr Lee said he used to invite his friends over for tea in his backyard, but has since stopped because of the littering. And when he goes out to feed the fish in his pond, he leaves the sliding door to his backyard open so he can make a quick escape should objects start falling.

"The father of the boy has apologised to us," said Mr Lee. "On June 3, he asked for the toys back in the afternoon, but we found them in our garden again later that very evening."

The condo management has confirmed that the boy's family has put up netting at the windows in their living room and master bedroom, and installed locks on the window latches.

Mr Lee said he has removed the video he posted online because he did not want to give his neighbours "more stress". He said: "I just want this to stop."

This article was first published on June 14, 2014.
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