Man, 69, convicted of breaching neighbours' protection order by singing and making noise

Heng Choo Hwi said he had the liberty to do his "own things" but the judge said one's liberty is subject to the law.

Heng Choo Hwi arrives at the State Courts on Aug 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: A 69-year-old man was convicted on Monday (Sep 28) of breaching an expedited protection order obtained by his neighbours by singing and making noises with metal objects outside their flat.

Heng Choo Hwi, a Singaporean, had contested the charge , claiming that he had the liberty to do his "own things" outside his Yishun flat.

He was shown in closed-circuit television footage sitting on a stool outside his flat, across from the victims' unit, surrounded by his belongings.

Heng also claimed that he had not read the protection order when it was served on him, but left it in a basket with old newspapers that the town council later cleared.

District Judge Gregory Gan rejected these arguments. First, he said one's liberty is subject to the law, which includes court orders such as the expedited protection order.

Second, he was "unpersuaded" by Heng's testimony that he left the documents in the basket outside his flat.

Heng had conceded that the documents were important and that it made "little sense" for him to leave them outside, said the judge.

Judge Gan said Heng's explanation that he "trusted" the security in Singapore was "unconvincing", as the area outside his flat could be accessed by the public.

He also rejected Heng's testimony that members of the town council had thrown his documents away.

Heng claimed that the town council had gone to take his items away. When he remembered that he wanted them back, they "refused to give them to me".

Judge Gan said it was "implausible" that the town council would proceed to throw away his court documents and newspapers despite his protests.

He found that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Heng, noting that he had been striking metal and singing for close to 11 minutes.

NEIGHBOURS OBTAINED ORDER

The victims, a couple living at Block 513C, Yishun Street 51, had obtained the order against Heng on Jan 12 this year.

He was prohibited from singing or creating deliberate loud noises in the immediate vicinity of their flat. The order took effect on Jan 19 but Heng breached it on Feb 5.

This came after an initially cordial neighbourly relationship that deteriorated into alleged aggression, testified one of the victims at trial.

Heng had explained at trial that he was cleaning his cans as usual on Feb 5 this year, and had not been harassing his neighbour, when the victim called the police about the breach.

The judge found, however, that the singing was directed at his neighbour, as Heng continued singing after seeing his neighbour return home and persisted after his neighbour went into his flat.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Kester Tan and Xavier Tan sought two to three weeks' jail, pointing to how the victims felt "extremely uncomfortable and unsafe".

Heng was unrepresented and listened to proceedings through an interpreter.

He sought a fine, saying he was working part-time and would lose his job if he went to jail.

The judge said he needed time to consider the sentence.

The case was adjourned to October for sentencing.

For breaching the expedited protection order, Heng could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

亨秋辉表示他有自由做“自己的事情”，但法官表示，人的自由受法律约束。

2026年8月19日，Heng Choo Hwi抵达国家法院。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：一名 69 岁男子周一（9 月 28 日）被判有罪，罪名是违反邻居申请的快速保护令，在邻居的公寓外唱歌并用金属物品制造噪音。

新加坡人Heng Choo Hwi对指控提出异议，声称他有自由在义顺的公寓外做自己的事。

闭路电视录像显示，他坐在公寓外的凳子上，就在受害者住所的对面，周围散落着他的物品。

亨还声称，他收到保护令时并没有阅读，而是把它放在一个装有旧报纸的篮子里，后来被市议会清理掉了。

地区法官格雷戈里·甘驳回了这些论点。首先，他指出，个人自由受法律约束，包括法院命令，例如快速保护令。

其次，他“不相信”Heng的证词，即他把文件留在了公寓外面的篮子里。

法官说，亨承认这些文件很重要，把他的文件放在外面“没什么意义”。

甘法官表示，Heng声称他“相信”新加坡的安全状况的说法“缺乏说服力”，因为他公寓外面的区域公众可以自由出入。

他还驳斥了亨的证词，即镇议会成员扔掉了他的文件。

恒声称镇议会曾去拿走他的物品。当他想起自己想要回这些东西时，他们“拒绝还给我”。

甘法官表示，尽管他提出抗议，但镇议会仍要丢弃他的法庭文件和报纸，这是“难以置信的”。

他认定控方已在排除合理怀疑的情况下证明了其指控，并判处亨有罪，同时指出亨敲击金属并唱歌长达近 11 分钟。

邻居们获得了命令

受害者是一对住在义顺 51 街 513C 座的夫妇，他们于今年 1 月 12 日获得了针对 Heng 的禁令。

他被禁止在公寓附近唱歌或故意制造巨大噪音。该禁令于1月19日生效，但Heng于2月5日违反了该禁令。

据一名受害者在庭审中作证称，此前邻里关系一度友好，但后来恶化为所谓的攻击行为。

亨在庭审中解释说，今年2月5日，他像往常一样清洗垃圾桶，并没有骚扰邻居，直到受害者报警才停止骚扰。

然而，法官认定，亨唱歌的对象是他的邻居，因为亨在看到邻居回家后继续唱歌，并在邻居进入公寓后仍然继续唱歌。

副检察官 Kester Tan 和 Xavier Tan 要求判处两到三周监禁，并指出受害者感到“极其不舒服和不安全”。

亨没有律师代表，通过翻译旁听了庭审。

他请求判处罚款，称自己是兼职工作，如果入狱就会丢掉工作。

法官表示他需要时间考虑判决。

该案延期至十月宣判。

如果违反快速保护令，Heng 可能被判处最高六个月监禁、最高 5000 新元罚款，或两者并罚。

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。