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A 61-year-old slingshot enthusiast has been sentenced to jail for three weeks after his attempt at target practice ended up smashing the windows of flats in Hougang.

According to CNA , Chan Fan Kheow pleaded guilty on Apr. 5 to an amalgamated charge of acting rashly to endanger the personal safety of others.

Another count of possessing an offensive weapon was taken into consideration for his sentencing.

CNA reported District Judge Marvin Bay as noting Chan's persistence with setting up his target practice nearby flats as an aggravating factor because the 61-year-old was aware of his poor accuracy.

Developed interest in slingshots

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Chan practised his slingshot skills by setting up plastic bottles on the rooftop of a multi-storey car park on Hougang Avenue 9, near his home.

Chan first picked up the hobby of slingshotting after discovering that he could purchase them on the cheap through e-commerce website Taobao in 2019; slingshots are illegal in Singapore.

During a visit to China that same year, he witnessed a slingshot competition and subsequently signed up for coaching sessions, reported The Straits Times (ST).

Between November 2019 and January 2020, Chan's interest in the activity deepened, along with his arsenal — he purchased seven slingshots along with several packets of ball bearings and pellets.

Practised twice a day

From December 2019 to January 2020, he would practice twice a day, in the mornings and evenings, with the bottles often set up so that he would be facing Block 923, reported CNA.

However, on two separate days, Chan missed the targets and sent ball bearings smashing into windows belonging to flats in Block 923.

Both occasions left small holes in the windows and glass fragments on the floor of the flats, and police reports were made.

According to CNA, the cost of the damage to both flats amounted to S$310.

The aspiring sharpshooter was eventually arrested on Jan. 16, 2020, after police found ball bearings scattered across the multi-storey car park that Chan used as his firing range.

Surveillance footage showed Chan with his slingshot.

Aware of his lack of skills

In court, the prosecution sought four to five weeks in jail for Chan.

They argued that Chan was aware both of his lack of skills and the damage a slingshot could cause.

ST reported Chan's lawyers as positing that Chan's case did not warrant a jail term.

Defence lawyer Justin Ng told the court that there were no victims harmed and suggested a maximum sentence of one day's jail if necessary.

But the judge, in his verdict, said that Chan was unlikely to be oblivious to the potential dangers of using a prohibited weapon, given the offender's extensive research into the activity.

Chan's lawyer asked for a two-week deferment for his client to consider whether to appeal the sentence.

The punishment for endangering the personal safety of others through a rash act is up to six months' jail, a fine of up to S$2,500 or both.

However, as Chan's charge was an amalgamation of two such offences, under section 124(8)(a)(ii) of the Criminal Procedure Code the court could have sentenced him to twice the punishment.

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Top image by Awais Jamil via Unsplash