Man who set off fireworks for Deepavali celebration and lied to police gets jail, fine
SINGAPORE — After purchasing the fireworks from Little India last November, Jeevan Arjoon shot them off at a field in Yishun as part of the group’s Deepavali celebration.
The man’s illegal pyrotechnics display lasted nearly five minutes, with some of the fireworks going higher than seven storeys. When Jeevan was later interviewed by the police, he also lied and implicated another man in the offence.
At the State Courts on Thursday (11 April), the 29-year-old was fined $5,000 for discharging fireworks, an offence under the Dangerous Fireworks Act. He was also jailed three weeks for giving false information to the police.
Jeevan, who works as a chemical surveyor, had admitted to all the charges earlier in the day, while another count of giving false information to the police was taken into consideration for his sentencing. He is one of four men who have been charged in four separate cases for setting off fireworks during Deepavali last year.
Alagappan Singaram and his son A Hariprasanth pleaded guilty in March to discharging fireworks at Bukit Batok West Avenue 6. Alagappan was fined $5,000, while Hariprasanth’s case is still before the courts.
Fireworks heard from surround flats
On 6 November last year, Jeevan purchased three single-shot and one 49-shot fireworks from an unknown peddler at a bazaar in Little India.
He then met his family members and friends at Block 513A Yishun Street 51. The group then proceeded to a nearby field where he lit up all the fireworks. Jeevan’s family members had been unaware that he would be doing so.
According to witnesses, the fireworks were loud enough to be heard from surrounding HDB blocks with some shots reaching as high as seven storeys. No property was damaged and no one was hurt in the incident.
One witness then called the police over “loud explosions” heard in the estate.
When the police quizzed Jeevan the next day, he claimed that both himself and another man – Mattavan Michael Douglas – had bought the fireworks together. He later changed his story and denied involvement in the purchase.
Jeevan admitted to his lie only five days later, stating that he had implicated Mattavan as an act of revenge for the latter pointing him out to the police.
‘Strict view’ on fireworks usage: judge
It was not the first time Jeevan had lied to the police, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Jean Goh, who noted that he had also been fined $3,000 for giving false information to the police in 2017.
Jeevan, who was unrepresented, said that he was remorseful over his actions. He added that he is his family’s sole breadwinner and is also supporting a blind mother-in-law. With this in mind, he asked for a light sentence that would not affect his job.
District Judge Marvin Bay said that the court took a “strict view” of the use of fireworks as they could cause serious injuries. The fireworks were also discharged “close to a cluster of housing blocks, which can cause considerable alarm to the public”.
Given that the offences took place at 3am, considerable alarm might have been caused, noted the judge.
For setting off fireworks for the first time, Jeevan could have been fined between $2,000 and $10,000 as well as jailed up to two years. For giving false information to the police, he could have been jailed up to one year, fined up to $5,000, or both.
Related story:
4 men charged for discharging dangerous fireworks on Deepavali
