THE former chairman of the Laguna Park management committee was reported to have told reporters that he was not remorseful after being fined $1,200 for committing mischief.
This has landed Lee Kok Leong back in court as the prosecution is using his comments in its appeal for a stiffer sentence.
The 62-year-old general manager of a logistic firm was fined $1,200 in April on two counts of committing mischief. He pleaded guilty to inserting super glue into the keyholes of padlocks of two of his neighbours in August last year.
The maximum penalty is a $10,000 fine and a year in jail.
Lee was caught in the act by a closed-circuit television camera.
His lawyer Ramesh Tiwary had told the court then that his client was remorseful and regretted the offences and District Judge Soh Tze Bian secided that a fine was appropriate.
The prosecution appealed against the sentence and also presented new evidence. This led the High Court to send the case back to the lower court to hear the new witnesses.
On Friday, Ms Rachel Chan of My Paper testified that immediately after the April hearing, Lee had told her that the sentence was reasonable but had also said: 'Fine, fine, lor. After all I can afford to pay.'
The reporter said that Lee was smiling when he added: 'One night I spend $4,000 on karaoke. What is $1,200?'
She said that Lee had told her that he was not remorseful.
Questioned by Mr Tiwary, Ms Chan agreed she did not state that Lee had said that the fine was reasonable in her report titled: 'I am not remorseful, said Laguna man.'
Ms Kimberly Spykerman of The Straits Times then testified that Lee had made similar comments to her as he did to Ms Chen.
The hearing continues on Sept 4.
