Court fines man for persistently putting things in corridor
A Bukit Panjang resident has been fined $1,000 for repeatedly flouting a court order that prohibited him from placing his belongings in the common corridor.
Mr Guo Fangyuan, 67, was fined on July 24 for breaching a special direction under the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal (CDRT).
According to Shin Min Daily News, the retiree has been in a dispute with a couple who in 2018 moved into the unit next to his flat at Block 626 Senja Road.
His neighbours reportedly took issue with Mr Guo's habit of placing potted plants, a bicycle and a joss burner in their common corridor.
After more than 10 complaints to the town council, the couple filed a neighbour dispute claim against Mr Guo in July 2019.
He was subsequently ordered by the court to burn joss paper at a designated place and to stop placing his bicycle in the common corridor.
However, he was summoned to the CDRT again later in December for placing his joss burner at the staircase landing. The tribunal then issued a special direction requiring him to comply with the order within a specific time.
Despite the court order, Mr Guo persisted with his actions, parking his bicycle and hanging laundry in the corridor between November 2021 and February 2022.
The prosecution sought a fine between $1,000 and $2,000, noting that the neighbours had not suffered any financial loss.
Failure to comply with a special direction is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, a jail term of up to three months, or both.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force stipulates that a clear passage of at least 1.2 metres must be maintained in HDB common corridors to ensure unobstructed escape routes.
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