[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – When squirt guns failed to keep the pigeons away from their apartment, a man set about shooting metal ball bearings at them with a catapult.
Unfortunately, their ammunition landed in a convoy of vehicles belonging to groomsmen and bridesmaids who had been involved in “door-breaking” games in the vicinity.
On the morning of July 1, 2017, some bridesmaids heard loud knocks and two men involved in the event found holes in the rear windshields of their vehicles. One of them called the police.
Samuel Tan Joo Soon, 53, was jailed for three weeks on Wednesday (September 9) after pleading guilty to one count of committing a reckless act that endangered the safety of others.
Interest in catapults
The court heard that Tan purchased a wooden catapult in 2008 and used it to shoot rocks at birds nesting in the trees around his unit. She also taught her daughter how to use the catapult. When the catapult lost its elasticity, she stopped using it.
Subsequently, Tan developed an interest in toys that could fire projectiles after watching videos of catapults on YouTube. She watched videos on how to improve her aim and learned that these items were illegal in Singapore.
He later bought a remote-controlled shotgun pack at Funan Mall and would take it to play on a grass field. He even shot the pellets to test the impact and observed that the plastic pellets caused him pain.
In 2016, annoyed by pigeons defecating on his window sills and the air conditioning compressor, Tan chased them away with squirt guns. However, he felt that this method had become inappropriate as the pigeons usually returned.
The following year, Tan decided to replace the rubber band on his catapult and bought one online. While browsing, he also came across a post selling 8mm metal ball bearings and bought two packs.
When the items arrived within a few weeks, Tan went to a park to try shooting trees to improve his accuracy. As his aim improved, Tan began shooting at the pigeons flying over his air conditioning compressor. This caused the pigeons to cluster on the ledge of an opposite block.
So then he went on to shoot the pigeons that were grouped in the opposite block. She said she was careful to shoot the pigeons against the backdrop of a wall, which made her feel like she wouldn’t damage property or injure anyone in the process.
Projectile analysis used
On July 1, 2017, between 6.44 a.m. and 7 a.m., a convoy of five vehicles parked along the service road below Tan’s block for a “breaking the door” wedding event. As the groomsmen and bridesmaids played their games, they laughed and cheered loudly, though Tan claimed that the noise hadn’t bothered him.
At approximately 7.15 a.m. M., Some of the bridesmaids heard some loud sounds while on the empty deck, but could not determine the source.
Tan admitted to shooting the pigeons from his daughter’s bedroom window at the time, but did not know if the pounding noises were caused by him. Since no one had come to check the cars, she guessed that the sounds hadn’t been caused by her.
When two of the men returned to their vehicles, they discovered damage done to their rear windshields and that there were dents near the rear of their vehicles. Police were alerted and all 12 metal ball bearings were confiscated at the scene.
Although they were unable to locate the shooter, police were able to pinpoint the unit from which the ball bearings could have been fired with the help of a projectile analysis from the Health Sciences Authority.
On July 18, 2017, at approximately 8.30 p.m., police officers searched Tan’s unit and discovered a toy pellet firing tank and a package of 8mm metal ball bearings. They also seized the wooden catapult, a pack of rubber bands, and plastic pellets.
“It was only then that the defendant told officers that he had used a catapult to shoot the birds from his daughter’s room. The defendant was later arrested, ”Deputy Prosecutor Chong Kee En said.
As a result of his actions, Tan caused $ 2,459.78 in damages. She has paid $ 490 in compensation while the rest is borne by the victim’s insurance company.
Tan’s attorney, Edmund Nathan, said his client did not intend to hurt anyone with his actions.
