Drunk man threw flowerpots down 15 floors after dad locked him out
SINGAPORE — Upon being locked out of his flat by his father, a drunk man threw the latter's flowerpots over the parapet in a fit of rage.
Goh Tiong Keng's father called the police on him.
Goh, 53, was jailed for four weeks on Thursday (3 June) after he pleaded guilty to one count of committing a rash act, endangering the personal safety of others, last November. Another charge of being drunk in a public place and causing annoyance to his father was taken into consideration for his sentencing.
His lawyer, Periowsamy Otharam, told the court that his client had been living with his 73-year-old father, whom he described as "bad tempered".
The elderly man's temper had caused other family members to move out as they were unable to live with him, the lawyer said, leaving son and father alone.
Goh continued to live with his father in order to take care of the older man. He learnt to live with his father despite the latter's temper, the lawyer said.
He had resided at the same Telok Blangah Heights 15th-floor unit since birth.
Police called during incident
On 5 November last year, before 10pm, Goh returned home drunk and found the gate padlocked by his father. When Goh could not enter the flat, he knocked on the door and rang the bell.
Instead of opening the door, Goh's father called the police. The police came and advised Goh to leave the flat before leaving. Goh remained at the corridor outside the flat.
Frustrated with his father, Goh threw two flowerpots over the ledge onto the ground floor. The flowerpots landed on a bed of plants accessible to the public. No one was injured by the flower pots.
Goh's father called the police again, stating that after the police left, his son returned and "caused nuisance again".
Another witness called the police to report a case of suspected killer litter. He stated, "Upstairs block keep throwing things down. I can’t see what is it. There is dust pan and all these, heavy items. When the thing dropped, it created a big sound. The last throw was five minutes ago.”
After Goh was arrested, a blood sample was taken from him. The sample was found to contain 176 mg of ethanol per 100 ml of blood.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Krystle Chiang sought at least four weeks' jail, saying Goh's conduct was aggravated as there was a "high degree of danger" given the height the flowerpots were thrown from.
Goh was also self-intoxicated, she added.
Goh could have been jailed up to six months, and/or fined up to $2,500 for the charge of endangering personal safety through a rash act.
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