A 48-year-old man with a long rap sheet of trespassing and harassment has struck yet again.
This time, Colin Mak Yew Loong turned the cafe at the Museum of Ice Cream Singapore into a makeshift hotel room, where he slept, charged his phone, and even did his laundry.
The owner noticed something was amiss and decided to monitor the closed-circuit television (CCTV) remotely.
He then witnessed the man entering the cafe after it had closed and promptly alerted the police.
Mak was arrested and charged with public nuisance, reported Shin Min Daily News.
He pleaded guilty to three charges and two other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
This is not the first time Mak has trespassed in the museum, having previously done so in 2022, according to The Straits Times.
Broke into cafe at least 5 times
The museum is open from 10 am to 9pm daily.
After closing, staff would secure areas that are not locked with fences.
Investigations later revealed that Mak had broken into the cafe at least five times that month by crossing the fences.
Shin Min reporters who visited the museum found that the cafe was located in an open-air venue with multiple seats and other facilities, with no doors and only a rope to restrict the entrance to the area.
After entering the premises, Mak would then relieve himself in the cafe's toilet, rest on the sofa, charge his phone and do his laundry.
Trespassed again despite warnings
At 10:40 pm on Jan. 26, 2023, the owner called the police to report a man trespassing in the cafe.
When the police arrived, Mak tried to hide but was eventually found inside the cafe.
The police instructed him to leave and gave him a warning to not trespass again.
However, he did not heed the warning and trespassed again on Jan. 27, 28 and 29.
The owner then called the police again on Jan. 29.
Mak was eventually arrested.
Did not have house to go back to
Shin Min reported that Mak originally lived with his parents, but was no longer living with them due to strained relations.
The judge eventually sentenced him to a fine of S$3,000 or 12 days in jail.
Mak did not pay the fine and was jailed.
Previous offences
Mak had previously been sentenced to three years in jail and a fine in 2013 for harassing four women, according to Today.
He was again sentenced to two months in jail for stalking another woman in 2019.
In 2020, he was sentenced yet again to nine months in jail for stalking a music teacher and harassing the school's general manager, reported The New Paper.
Then in 2022, Mak was sentenced to eight days in jail and a fine of S$4,000 for trespassing into different properties, including the Museum of Ice Cream Singapore, according to ST.
Top photo via Shin Min Daily News