SINGAPORE: After meeting some friends to drink in a gathering that breached then-prevailing COVID-19 rules, a man went into a drunken rampage over a quarrel with his wife and damaged eight cars.
Nguyen Duc Thien, 34, was sentenced on Wednesday (Oct 19) to two months’ jail and fined S$2,000 for his actions that resulted in more than S$23,000 worth of damage.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of mischief and one count of flouting a COVID-19 gathering regulation, with another six charges taken into consideration.
The court heard that Nguyen was a construction worker from Vietnam.
On the night of Aug 21 last year, a friend of his invited him to meet at Premier @ Kaki Bukit in No 8 Kaki Bukit Avenue 4 for drinks and a birthday gathering.
The group of seven drank and chatted until 3am. At the time, social gatherings were limited to five under prevailing COVID-19 laws.
At about 5am on Aug 22, 2021, Nguyen went to the open car park at Premier @ Kaki Bukit, which houses several car dealers.
He was intoxicated and walking unsteadily, said the prosecutor. He felt frustrated, as he was quarrelling with his wife in Vietnam.
Nguyen vented his frustration on several cars that were parked there. Some of them were new while others were parked there awaiting repairs or rental.
At about 5.15am, he began hitting a Toyota Corolla with his hands, banging on the windscreen. He attempted to lift a concrete backstop next to the car but was unable to do so.
Nguyen then picked up a metal pole and began smashing a new Honda Shuttle with it. He struck multiple vehicles until a part of the pole broke off. He also broke off a windscreen wiper on one of the vehicles.
In total, Nguyen damaged eight vehicles, with the total cost of repairs for the cars amounting to more than S$23,000.
The damage for the Honda Shuttle amounted to S$3,500, while a Volkswagen Golf GTI required S$10,100 to repair.
The Golf had been sent to Garage 13 for repairs from an accident that left it with some scratches.
It was parked at the open car park at Premier as there was insufficient parking space in Garage 13’s unit.
As a result of Nguyen’s actions, the vehicle sustained damage that included a shattered windscreen, a cracked tail lamp, a damaged front door, a cracked bonnet and damaged fenders.
A man called the police the next day, saying someone had smashed their new vehicles.
The prosecutor asked for four to five weeks’ jail and a fine for the COVID-19 charge.
In his defence, Nguyen said he was very remorseful and regretted what he did. He said through an interpreter that he was unable to control his feelings and asked for a chance.
The judge said Nguyen had gone on a “senseless drunken rampage” and made no restitution.