Youth who set neighbour's flat ablaze with Molotov cocktail given reformative training
A youth who set his neighbour’s flat ablaze with a Molotov cocktail was sentenced to six months’ reformative training on Thursday (3 January).
Lu Mingduo, 20, had been acting on the instructions of a loanshark at the time of the offence. He had previously admitted to one count of causing annoyance on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender.
Two similar charges also under the Moneylenders Act were taken into consideration for his sentencing. Reformative training is given to suitable offenders between the ages of 14 and 21.
Thomas Tan, Lu’s lawyer, said that his client intends to appeal against the sentence. Tan had earlier urged the court to call for a probation report for Lu, a request that District Judge Ong Hian Sun rejected.
Recruited by loanshark
Lu first came to be acquainted with the loanshark, known as “Sunny”, on 7 August this year. Sunny had called Lu’s home asking to speak to the latter’s father. Lu told Sunny that his father no longer lived there.
Sunny then claimed that Lu’s father owned the neighbouring flat and that Lu’s neighbour owed him money. He threatened to harass Lu if the youth did not harass the neighbour on his behalf.
Lu agreed to Sunny’s proposal in an effort to prove that the neighbouring unit did not belong to his family.
On Sunny’s instructions, Lu threw a mixture of chilli sauce, milk, beancurd and paint at the neighbour’s door that night. He also left a burnt A4-sized paper magazine with writing at the unit’s doorstep.
Trapped by fire bomb
The next morning, Lu bought paint thinner and constructed a Molotov cocktail under Sunny’s instructions. He threw the explosive at his neighbour’s unit twice before it ignited.
The resulting fire caused his neighbour’s electronic bicycle to explode and the flames engulfed the corridor. Lu then fled the scene.
At the time of the explosion, the debtor’s 64-year-old father had been at home his 13-year-old daughter.
To avoid the flames, the pair climbed out of the flat’s master bedroom window and stood on the window ledge. They were eventually rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force officers.
A resident living on a higher floor of the block also heard the explosion. Chua Kim Leng, 51, fled his unit when thick smoke began drifting in.
He collapsed from smoke inhalation while trying to escape. Chua was taken to a hospital and was found to have burns on his upper arms, face and toes, as well as soot in his lungs.
He was hospitalised for 10 days and incurred medical bills of more than $600. Repairs works to the HDB block amounted to $10,498.96 while $5,000 in damage was done to the neighbour’s flat.
Accused made reparations
On Thursday, Tan noted that although his client’s reformative training suitability report was favourable, the six-month sentence would be “disruptive” to Lu’s education and work.
Tan added that his client had made restitution for the damages incurred and urged the court to consider probation.
However, DJ Ong said he was “not minded” to call for a probation report given the circumstances of the offence. Lu’s sentence will be stayed until his appeal is heard.
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