Condo's MC chairman nabbed
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapor...ry_272671.html
Aug 28, 2008
LAGUNA PARK EN-BLOC SPAT
Condo's MC chairman nabbed
Arrest followed 'glued doors' attack at two units this week; he's now out on police bail
By Chong Chee Kin
THE chairman of the management committee at Laguna Park, recently hit by a spate of vandalism, was arrested this week on suspicion of gluing shut two residents' apartment doors.
No charges were brought against Mr Lee Kok Leong, 61, who has since been released on police bail.
He could not be contacted yesterday despite several attempts to do so.
A resident who declined to be named said he was surprised by the news of the arrest as Mr Lee was well respected in the 530-unit East Coast condominium, whose residents are now split over a collective sale.
The resident said of Mr Lee: 'Although he supported the en-bloc sale, he had claimed he was a victim - he said his mailbox was glued shut.'
The rift over the collective sale has turned ugly in recent months after several instances of vandalism against those opposed to the sale.
In the latest incident on Monday, two residents found their apartment doors stuck to the frames by glue.
Both live in Block E, and are against the sale.
In recent months, cars belonging to residents not keen on the sale were splashed with a corrosive liquid or paint, or scratched; mailboxes have also been found with glue in their keyholes.
Some residents were hit more than once.
One resident who found glue on the door to her apartment this week said she was worried that the culprits have accomplices, and did not feel safe.
To address the fears of residents like her, an extraordinary general meeting will be called in October.
Contacted yesterday, a spokesman for the management committee told The Straits Times that the purpose of the meeting was to find out where the residents stood on having closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed.
'The big question is whether they would be willing to pay. Everyone wants security, but who is going to pay for it in the end?
'If they want a CCTV camera outside every unit, it would be very costly,' he said.
The move was in response to the vandalism in the estate, he added.
The possibility of a collective sale of the units in this seaside estate arose last December.
Residents have until the end of this year to secure an 80 per cent vote to put it up for sale.
So far, 65 per cent have indicated their agreement to it.
Residents have been told by a property valuer that an average unit could be worth more than $2.1 million in a collective sale, and the penthouses, almost $4m.
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Ex-condo chief scoffs at fine for mischief
http://www.straitstimes.com/Prime%2B...ry_366705.html
April 22, 2009 Wednesday
Ex-condo chief scoffs at fine for mischief
I can afford $1,200 fine, he says. He stuck glue in keyholes of two units
By Elena Chong & Kimberly Spykerman
FOR his acts of mischief in Laguna Park condominium, Lee Kok Leong, 62, former chairman of its management committee, was fined $1,200.
Arms folded as he sat in the dock yesterday, he told reporters: 'Fine, then fine lah. After all, I can afford it. I can spend $4,000 in one night on karaoke.'
The general manager of a shipping company was so sure he would not be jailed that he had made plans to go to his office in Bukit Merah later in the day.
Earlier, he had pleaded guilty to inserting super glue into the keyholes of the padlock, front and rear gates of Mr Yap Cher Sim's flat at Block 5000E on Aug 25 last year. For that, he was fined $800.
That same day, he did the same thing to another flat in the same block, belonging to Ms Alice Elizabeth Rappa. That resulted in another $400 fine.
Lee could also have been jailed up to a year for the offences, on top of being fined.
The Community Court heard that he had been caught in the act by the closed-circuit television camera installed by Mr Yap along the common corridor.
Lee later told police he had bought two tubes of super glue a day earlier with the aim of damaging Mr Yap's unit. Someone had done the same super glue stunt to his own letterbox earlier, he claimed.
The acts of vandalism in the Marine Parade condominium came to light last July amid a row which erupted among residents over whether the condominium should be sold en bloc.
Among those who opposed the sale were Mr Yap and Ms Rappa. At that time, a regular apartment in the 530-unit condominium could have fetched more than $2.1 million in a collective sale. A penthouse owner could have received almost $4 million.
Proponents had included Lee, a 1998 Public Service Medal recipient who has lived there for the past 30 years.
His lawyer, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, said his client wanted a nest egg for his retirement and was unhappy at attempts to derail the collective sale process.
He was so upset that he suffered a relapse of a psychiatric condition which he had been diagnosed with since 1998, Mr Tiwary told Community Court judge Soh Tze Bian yesterday.
Dr Ung Eng Khean, a senior consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, confirmed this in his medical report, saying that Lee had a relapse of 'moderate to severe depression' last June.
The court case is not the end of the mischief that has plagued Laguna Park residents. Mr Larry Chan, 51, filed a police report after he found his mailbox forced open, its metal flap bent, and all the mail removed two weeks ago.
Residents told The Straits Times that the lift button for the ninth floor, where Mr Yap and Ms Rappa live, has been burnt three times. The last time was two months ago.
Lee has paid for the damage he caused to his neighbours' property, amounting to about $600.
But no, he had not apologised to them, he told reporters. And no, he had no regrets about what he had done.
'What's there to regret? What's done is done. I am not remorseful.'
Asked if he knew about the recent vandalism acts in his condominium, he shrugged his shoulders and said: 'Yes I heard about it. But it's none of my business.'
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Condo glue case: Lower court to hear new evidence
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapor...ry_403688.html
July 16, 2009 Thursday
Condo glue case: Lower court to hear new evidence
By Selina Lum
THE prosecution has appealed against a $1,200 fine handed down to the former chairman of the Laguna Park management committee for his acts of mischief.
The appeal came up for hearing in the High Court yesterday, but the case was sent back to the lower court for new evidence to be heard.
Businessman Lee Kok Leong, 62, was convicted in April over two mischief charges.
He admitted to inserting super glue into the keyholes of padlocks at the front and rear gates of Mr Yap Cher Sim's flat in Block 5000E on Aug 25 last year. For that, he was fined $800.
The same day, he committed the same offence at another flat in the same block, belonging to Ms Alice Elizabeth Rappa, resulting in another $400 fine.
Lee could also have been jailed for up to a year for each offence.
The acts of vandalism occurred last July amid a row among residents over whether the condominium should be sold en bloc. Lee was caught in the act by a closed-circuit television camera installed by Mr Yap in the common corridor.
The prosecution appealed against the fine. It also applied for new evidence to be cited for the appeal.
Yesterday, Lee's lawyer, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, sought an adjournment.
Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin noted that the prosecution was seeking to enter new evidence, but he could not hold a trial or make a determination based purely on affidavits.
'There has to be a further hearing before some other tribunal,' he said, referring to a provision on criminal procedure.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jennifer Marie asked for the additional evidence to be recorded by the same district judge that sentenced Lee.
No details of the evidence were disclosed.
But Justice Chao described it as a 'pertinent piece of evidence', noting there were three affidavits from the prosecution and one from the defence.
The judge directed that the additional evidence be taken by the sentencing judge without him making any finding.
