S’porean man, 30, puts canned pork at mosque’s food delivery shelf to get police to investigate 'voices' in his head
He was jailed for 12 weeks.Khine Zin Htet |
After stealing two cans of pork from a supermarket, a 30-year-old man in Singapore left them at a mosque's food delivery shelf.
Ian Poh, 30, had done so knowing that consuming pork was forbidden in Islam and that his actions would enrage the Muslim community.
Poh, who worked as a food delivery rider, later pleaded guilty to one count each of theft and committing an act prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail on Apr. 4, 2024.
Left two cans of pork at mosque
On May. 15, 2023, at around 9:45pm, Poh took one can of canned pork and another can of pork luncheon meat from a Sheng Siong Supermarket at Upper Changi Road and left without paying for them, according to court documents.
The two cans cost S$9.50.
He then cycled to Masjid Al-Ansar, a mosque in Bedok North, and placed the two cans of pork on a food delivery shelf outside.
Congregants shocked and offended
At about 4:30am the next day, two congregants at the mosque arrived for their morning prayers and discovered the two cans of pork on the shelf.
They were "shocked and offended", and immediately took a picture of the cans before throwing them away.
Later, other congregants heard about the incident and informed staff members of the mosque that they were "offended and insulted".
They added that it was an insensitive act to carry out at a place of Muslim worship.
The police were informed and investigations led to the arrest of Poh on May. 17.
Wanted police to investigate voices in his head
During investigations, Poh told the officer that he thought that his actions would enrage the Muslim community and get the police to investigate the "voices he heard in his head".
He was subsequently remanded in the Institute of Mental Health from May. 19, 2023 to Jun. 1, 2023 for psychiatric observation and evaluation.
His psychiatric report later revealed that he had previous psychiatric episodes in June 2021 and again in April 2022.
On both occasions, Poh had heard voices that told him, amongst other things, to commit suicide.
He also had a history of substance abuse, such as sniffing glue, and consuming cough syrup and methamphetamine.
Poh was diagnosed with substance-induced psychotic disorder and his psychotic symptoms were found to have contributed to his offences.
However, he was found fit to plead in court as he was of sound mind at the time of the offences.
Putting pork outside mosque a "physical insult": Prosecutor
The prosecution asked for at least eight to 10 weeks' jail tern for Poh's charge of committing an act prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups.
They also asked for a consecutive sentence of one to two weeks' jail for his theft charge.
The prosecutor said "a firm and resolute deterrent sentence" is necessary to deter offences threatening Singapore society's religious harmony.
Comparing precedent cases of similar offences, the prosecutor also said that Poh's offence is "a physical insult that is of a far graver nature", noting that pork consumption is forbidden and unlawful by Islamic law.
Previously threatened ex-girlfriend that he'd put pork at mosque
Poh also had previously threatened his ex-girlfriend, who is Muslim, that he would put pork at the mosque.
The prosecutor noted that Poh's offending was premeditated.
"The accused formed the intention to place pork at the mosque, and stole the can of pork in order to perpetrate this insult," he said.
Abused substance knowing it can trigger psychotic symptoms
The prosecutor also highlighted that Poh's psychotic disorder at the time of offending was an aggravating factor.
He said psychiatric evidence from IMH reports and mandatory treatment order (MTO) suitability report showed that Poh was aware that consuming drugs would cause him to suffer psychosis and hear voices.
Furthermore, he noted that the MTO suitability report showed that his voluntary consumption of substances caused his substance-induced psychotic disorder.
The prosecutor said: "Taken together, his voluntary consumption of substances despite his awareness of his condition and his effects is a conscious embarking on a course of conduct he knows to be dangerous and to have dire potential consequences."
Top photos via court documents
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