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Tag: graffiti

  • German Vandals Sentence To Nine Months Jail And Three Strokes Of Cane

    German Vandals Sentence To Nine Months Jail And Three Strokes Of Cane

    SThe two Germans who trespassed on Bishan Depot last year to scrawl graffiti on an SMRT train have each been sentenced to nine months’ jail and three strokes of the cane.

    Andreas Von Knorres, 22, and Elton Hinz, 21, each pleaded guilty yesterday to two charges of unauthorised entry into the depot, as well as to a third charge of vandalising the train.

    In announcing the sentencing, District Judge Liew Thiam Leng said it had to serve to deter others from committing similar offences.

    The court heard that at about 2.20am on Nov 7, the duo entered Bishan Depot through the drainage system. To reach the level where the trains were located, they had to scale a wall. They observed where the trains were and left the depot the same way they had entered.

    The next day at about 2.48am, the men entered the depot again, using the same route, and climbed to the level where the trains were located. There, they took a selfie of themselves in front of a train. They then began spraying graffiti, 10m in length and 1.8m in width, on the left side of the train, using 12 cans of spray paint they had bought two days earlier. The duo later threw the cans under some wooden crates near the rail tracks and left the depot the same way they had entered.

    Von Knorres and Hinz reportedly left Singapore on Nov 8, but were arrested on Nov 20 by the Malaysian police at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where they were about to board a plane to Australia. The two men have been in remand in Singapore since Nov 22 and their prison sentences will be backdated to that date.

    Further investigations showed that Von Knorres and Hinz worked in Australia and that they had committed the offences while on their first visit to Singapore.

    The duo’s case — the second security breach to hit Bishan Depot last year — brought to light security vulnerabilities at the depot, arising from a network of canals and drains running underneath it.

    SMRT had stated earlier that it was working with the authorities to “urgently address the identified points of vulnerability to further safeguard the depot and its transport assets”.

    The maximum sentence for vandalism is up to three years’ jail, and/or a fine of up to S$2,000, with between three and eight strokes of the cane. Those who trespass on protected areas may be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to S$1,000.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • SMRT Train At Bishan Bus Depot Vandalised

    SMRT Train At Bishan Bus Depot Vandalised

    SINGAPORE: Bishan train depot has been hit by its third case of vandalism.

    The Land Transport Authority said graffiti was discovered on the exterior of an SMRT train early Saturday morning (Nov 8). It is the second incident to take place at the depot, in just over six months.

    Staff discovered that a train was spray-painted with graffiti, before it was put into service. Police said they were alerted to the incident at about 6.40am. LTA said it takes a serious view of the matter and is working with the police and SMRT on the investigations.

    The latest incident comes on the back of a similar case in May this year. Back then, a red scrawl with traces of white – measuring three metres long and one metre high – was found on a train’s middle carriage. In August 2011, a train at the depot was also vandalised.

    “I feel quite annoyed. I think security at train depots must be tightened up. This is not the first time, it has happened so we need to understand why – despite the increase in security, the vandalism still took place,” said Lim Biow Chuan, member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport. “What actually is of concern is that people can break in and we do not know whether there can be sabotage of trains or not. So we are not just talking about vandalism, but potential breach in security.”

    “I think SMRT should be able to react fast enough to make sure the culprits are apprehended from doing more than what they have done,” he added. “And I do hope the culprits are caught because I do not agree with this kind of behaviour. Vandalism is absolutely not acceptable.”

    The latest incident marks the fourth vandalism case involving the train operator. SMRT has stepped up its security measures at its depots since the first case of vandalism in May 2010, in which vandals cut through a fence and left their mark on the trains at the depot in Changi.

    Since then, the number of security personnel and frequency of patrols were increased. The train operator has already been fined a total of S$250,000 for the first two breaches in 2010 and 2011.

    The Land Transport Authority said following earlier incidents of security breach, the public transport operators have taken steps to enhance the security at the train depots. These include increasing the number of security personnel and frequency of security patrols at the depot, as well as installation of concertina wires to reinforce certain stretches of the perimeter fencing.

    LTA added that the latest incident shows that security threats continue to evolve and agencies will continue to work to address security challenges faced.

     

    Source:  www.channelnewsasia.com