S'porean man, 88, feuding with upstairs neighbour fined after using pole to lift rubbish bags onto aircon ledge 18 times

A 88-year-old Singaporean man was fined for harassment after repeatedly discarding bags of rubbish on the air-conditioning ledge of the resident living directly above him.

Choo Hoe Chiang was caught on camera footage hoisting the rubbish bags upwards onto his neighbour's Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat ledge with a pole.

He persisted with the acts on 18 separate occasions in just over two months even though the victim called the police on him.

Choo was sentenced to a S$3,000 fine on Nov. 20.

Used pole to lift rubbish bags onto ledge

Court documents seen by Mothership showed that Choo, who lives at a HDB block at Margaret Drive in Queenstown, was not on good terms with his upstairs neighbour, a 60-year-old man.

On Nov. 11, 2024, the victim called the police to report the harassment.

The victim accused the occupants of another flat of throwing rubbish outside his flat, saying "I have CCTV footage".

The CCTV footage showed Choo hoisting the bags of rubbish at the end of a pole from his kitchen window before discarding them on the ledge.

He did so on 18 occasions between Nov. 14, 2024 and Jan. 19, 2025.

Prosecutors said Choo's actions made the victim feel "harassed" and fearful that his health would be affected by the "repeated presence of rubbish".

The victim was also fearful of his safety when removing the rubbish on each occasion, prosecutors said.

Choo pleaded guilty to one charge under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) 2014.

A second similar charge involving alleged harassment from June to August 2025 was taken into consideration.

Pleaded for reduced fine, but not granted

Choo appeared in court with his son on Nov. 20 and said he had nothing to say in mitigation, CNA reported.

The judge sentenced Choo to a S$3,000 fine, telling him that his "deliberate and continuous acts" were not only threatening but "highly anti-social".

If he does not pay the fine, he would have to serve 10 days' jail in default.

Choo pleaded with the judge for a reduced fine after hearing the amount.

"Because we are very poor. No income. Please reduce it a bit, please," he explained to the judge, as quoted by CNA.

However, the judge replied the sentence has been passed and told Choo that a counsellor would speak to him.

For threatening behaviour under POHA, Choo could have been fined up to S$10,000.

Top image from Google Maps and court documents