Example of Coolie Genes Sinkie.
Masked man used hammers to smash ex-employer's glass door, car window; gets jail, caning
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- Toh Yeow Wee, 42, used hammers to smash his former employer's glass door and the rear windscreen of a car belonging to one of its bosses
- The man, who suffers from delusions of persecution, believed that his ex-employer was harassing him
- When asked to attend a police interview, he asked the investigation officer to prepare her firearm as he would bring "all his weapons"
- He was sentenced to seven months' jail and six strokes of the cane on Tuesday (July 16) after pleading guilty to a string of offences
BY
NIKKI YEO
Published July 16, 2024Updated July 16, 2024
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SINGAPORE — Wanting revenge against his ex-employer whom he believed was disturbing him, a former senior engineer dressed in black clothing and a mask then used hammers to vandalise a car belonging to his ex-boss and the office building.
Toh Yeow Wee, 42, was sentenced to seven months’ jail and six strokes of the cane on Tuesday (July 16). He had been found to suffer from delusions of persecution.
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He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to one charge of a rash act endangering the personal safety of others, two charges of mischief and one count of carrying offensive weapons in public places.
One other mischief charge, one charge of carrying truncheons in public places and two charges under the Protection from Harassment Act were taken into consideration for sentencing.
WHAT HAPPENED
Toh was employed as a senior engineer at Hi-P Singapore from 2019 to 2020, before being terminated in April 2020.READ ALSO
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On Dec 3, 2023, Toh sought treatment at the National University Hospital (NUH) over concerns that a fishbone was lodged in his throat.
Unhappy about his hospital experience and believing that he had been charged for a computed tomography scan which was not performed, he blamed all this on his ex-employer hacking the NUH computer system.
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A few days later, Toh received an email from a headhunting film offering him a job interview for the role of a programmer.
As he did not have experience as a programmer, he believed the email was sent to him as a form of harassment from his former employer.
The man felt “very angry” as he wanted his ex-employer to leave him alone and wanted revenge against the company for “disturbing him”, said Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Ng Jun Chong.
Toh also attributed the smashing of his car rear windscreen window over 10 years earlier to his former employer.
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On Dec 6, 2023, he left his home and rode his bicycle to his former office building. Toh deliberately avoided taking public transport or a private hire vehicle to avoid detection.
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He also dressed in black tactical fatigues, wore a black mask, black boots and a black helmet, and carried two hammers in his backpack.
At about 12.23pm, he parked his bicycle near the building’s front entrance. Noticing that the parking lot where the company’s founder usually parked was empty, he decided to look for the “VP’s car”.
He saw the chief operations officer’s car, a Mercedes E200, and used two hammers to smash the car’s rear windscreen, causing the whole windscreen to be shattered.
Toh then threw a hammer at the glass door of the building’s front entrance, which bounced off onto the driveway.
An employee saw him throwing the hammer at the glass door as he was walking out of the building. Just as the employee was a few metres away from the glass door, Toh threw the hammer again.
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Toh picked up the hammer and threw it at the glass panel a third time, causing it to crack and leaving a hole in it.
The employee took out his phone to film Toh, but was caught doing so by Toh.
Wielding the two hammers, Toh raised one behind his head as if planning to throw the hammer at the employee, and told him to “delete it”.
Afraid for his safety, the employee quickly gestured that he was not filming and sought assistance from his supervisor. A police report was made.
Toh’s actions were partially captured by a closed-circuit television camera located at the building entrance.
The cost of repairing the car windscreen was S$920, while the cost of repairing the building’s glass panel was S$4,421.
Police officers investigating Toh for various offences were unable to locate him until Feb 6, 2024, when an investigation officer who called him managed to persuade him to report for an interview.
Toh asked the investigation officer if she knew what a firearm was, and she replied yes. He then told her to prepare her firearm as he would be bringing “all his weapons” down to Clementi Police Division Headquarters for the interview.
When he arrived at the police headquarters, Toh’s bag was found to contain a lighter, a mini camera, a swiss army knife, two straight extendable batons and two hammers.
He told another investigation officer that he had the items in his possession in case what was discussed was “disagreeable”. He was later arrested.
Toh was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for a forensic psychiatric evaluation in February 2024 and was examined by a senior resident psychiatrist.
He was found to have the persecutory type of delusional disorder and had the “absolute conviction” that his ex-employers were conspiring against, spying on and harassing him.
The psychiatric evaluation found a contributory link between his delusional disorder and his offences, as Toh had acted on his delusional beliefs that the perceived harassment would cease once he sent a warning to his ex-employer.
While he was assessed to be aware of the wrongfulness of his actions, Toh was also found to have a high risk of reoffending and harming others if his psychotic symptoms were not fully brought into remission.
For each charge of mischief, Toh could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, or faced both punishments.
Those who carry offensive weapons in public can be jailed for up to three years and must receive at least six strokes of the cane.
Anyone who does a rash act which endangers the life or personal safety of others can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$2,500, or both.
