Man flew drone near National Day Parade to record fireworks
SINGAPORE — He wanted to record close-up footage of fireworks during the National Day Parade last year with a drone, but was caught red-handed during a test flight by a policeman on duty.
At the State Courts on Tuesday (7 January), Tan Jing Kang, 21, pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing a prohibited item in a special event area under the Public Order Act.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
On 9 August, at about 7.50pm, a police sergeant on patrol near the Singapore Flyer was informed by his command post that a drone had been spotted nearby.
The officer saw a drone flying about four to five metres high in the air near the main jetty of the Singapore Flyer, about 50 metres away from his position. The drone was descending to a spot along Raffles Avenue, in front of the Singapore Flyer.
The policeman walked over to ask Tan to stop what he was doing. Although the drone had a camera attached to it, Tan had not used the camera as he was running a test flight, the court heard.
“The accused had intended to use the said drone later that night to take video footage of the fireworks that were to be expected in the course of the National Day celebrations taking place in the vicinity,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Teong.
At the time, the area had been declared a special event area under the Public Order Act, in view of the National Day Parade. Drones were prohibited in the special event area.
There were also numerous signages put up in the area explicitly stating that the flying and possession of drones were prohibited. “There were in fact two such signboards in close proximity to where the accused had been found operating his drone,” said DPP Teong.
“The accused had flown the drone for up to a distance of about 10.8 metres over a period of about 45 seconds in the said special event area,” said the prosecutor.
“The drone had a weight of 905g, a width of 9.5 inches, a length of 12.7 inches and a height of 3.3 inches,” he added.
The prosecution is seeking a fine of up to $4,000.
For his offence, Tan faces a maximum fine of up to $20,000 and/or up to one year in jail.
Other Singapore stories:
MOE to complete review of practice of withholding students' result slips by end-2020
Elderly man molested woman in front of her husband, offered $10 to be let go
Cats in flats: HDB pet ownership policies have to 'strike a balance', says Lawrence Wong
