A 30-year-old air-conditioner repairman from India has been sentenced to 10 days’ jail on Thursday (22 July) for negligently throwing a cigarette butt into a rubbish-filled area causing fire at a police divisional headquarters.

According to media report, Ganesan Shanmugam pleaded guilty to one count of negligently causing fire by throwing a cigarette butt that was not put out.

As a result of the fire, the wall, ceiling, floor, and air-conditioning fittings were damaged. It cost more than S$5,310 to repair the damages.

The court heard that the Indian national, who works at ST Synthesis and earns a monthly salary of S$800, was assigned to carry out night shift maintenance work at Ang Mo Kio Police Division Headquarters with a colleague on 9 Jan.

While working, Shanmugam wanted to smoke when he was at the ground level beside the main switch room. Since it was raining that particular day, he found it inconvenient to go outside to puff a cigarette, and decided to smoke outside the main switch room itself, said the prosecutor.

Then, at about 11.45pm, he threw the cigarette butt after he was done smoking into a nearby area that was littered with rubbish, including discarded cardboard boxes.

Shanmugam thought the cigarette butt had been extinguished and did not double check to be sure.

He then went with his colleague to rest at a nearby storeroom. However, after 20 minutes, his colleague noticed that there was a fire.

They came back to the area where Shanmugam was smoking and saw the flames. The duo then took fire extinguishers and put the fire out before cleaning the space.

A police officer who was on duty that day smelt something burning, and both police and firefighters later arrived at the scene. The cause of the fire was traced to Shanmugam, who did not deny that he threw the cigarette butt.

Due to the fire, the overall cost to repair the damaged wall, ceiling, floor, and air-conditioning fittings arrived at S$5313.17, which was borne by Shanmugam’s company – ST Synthesis, a services arm of ST Engineering.

The prosecutor sought two to three weeks’ jail, noting Shanmugam’s remorse.

The Indian national, who was not represented in court, told the judge that he was unsure if he can afford to pay any fine with his monthly salary of just S$800.

He also expressed that he suffered from neck pain as he has to continually look up to repair air-conditioning systems, adding that he had experienced a lot of stress due to the incident.

Shanmugam went on to say – via an interpreter – that it might be better if he returns home and that he did not purposely cause the fire, though he acknowledged that it was an act of negligence and he was remorseful about it.

The judge granted his request to defer the jail term, which he will begin serving on Monday (26 July).

Shanmugam could have been jailed up to 18 months and fined for negligently causing fire.

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