Duo admit to trespassing on rail land, defacing train

[chobolan]

Duo admit to trespassing on rail land, defacing train

Published on Dec 29, 2011

Full-time national serviceman Gan Kwang Chuen, 21, (left) and Filipino Mauricio Pocholo Jorge Martinez, 24, (right) then unemployed, cycled to the land off Spooner Road some time before 2am on March 12. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG

Two friends on Wednesday admitted to trespassing onto land belonging to Malayan Railways to spray paint a train there.

Full-time national serviceman Gan Kwang Chuen, 21, and Filipino Mauricio Pocholo Jorge Martinez, 24, then unemployed, cycled to the land off Spooner Road some time before 2am on March 12.

They entered the site through an existing hole in the fence.

Each of them used a bottle of spray paint to spray two carriages of a Malayan Railways train they believed had been abandoned.

They fled when they saw another train approaching.

A railway worker saw one of them spraying the train and called the police, who identified them from closed-circuit television recordings and later arrested them.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
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[General Veers]

Men on probation for trespassing and defacing KTM train
By Alvina Soh | Posted: 25 January 2012 1446 hrs

SINGAPORE: Two men were placed on probation Wednesday for breaking into the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and defacing a Malayan Railway (KTM) train carriage with spray paint.

The incident happened on March 12 last year.

Full-time national serviceman Gan Kwang Chuen, who pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal trespass with intention to commit vandalism, was put on nine months' supervised probation.

The 21-year-old has also been ordered by the court to perform 80 hours of community service.

His parents have to post a bond of S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour.

Gan's friend, 24-year-old Filipino, Mauricio Pocholo Jorge Martinez, also admitted to the offences.

Pocholo, who was a former freelance photographer, was given six months' supervised probation.

In addition, he has to perform 60 hours of community service.

His parents have to post a bond of S$5,000 as well.

The court heard that on the day of the offence at around 2.00 am, the duo had cycled to Spooner Road.

They snuck into the vicinity through a hole in a fence.

They then spray painted two train carriages, after believing the area to be abandoned.

The two fled on their bicycles when they spotted an approaching train.

Staff at the station spotted the duo and reported the incident shortly after.

CCTV footage also revealed the pair's identities, which led to their arrest.

Gan was also found guilty of trespassing into the Singapore Gun Club at Rifle Range Road on a separate occasion in January last year.

He had spray painted a wall with graffiti after breaking into the club.

For criminal trespass, both could have been jailed up to three months and fined up to S$1,500.

- CNA/cc