Walls & vans at Salvation Army at Bukit Timah found vandalised on Christmas morning

The Salvation Army Praisehaven Church at Upper Bukit Timah Road was found spray-painted with words before the start of its Christmas Day service on Dec. 25.

Before 10am in the morning, the staff at the church discovered "ill-intended words" sprayed in red on the exterior walls and vehicles, according to a Mothership reader who regularly attends service at the church.

The walls inside the church lobby, which is a common area open to the public, also had graffiti.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Salvation Army confirmed that an incident did take place this morning at the premises, and that it is under police investigation.

Vandalism

Unpleasant words were sprayed in red on the front of two vans parked outside.

At the site, Mothership saw a message that included the name "Ruth Pascoe", a pastor at Salvation Army, sprayed on the exterior walls of the building.

Police presence

Photos of the scene show large red cloths placed over the graffiti to cover the words.

Police officers were at the scene by 12:25pm to investigate the incident, according to the Mothership reader.

A second Mothership reader who visited the church at about 1:30pm saw four police cars in the compound, standing guard at the entrance gate.

There was no commotion, and the reader was allowed to enter as per usual to donate items.

When Mothership visited the scene at about 2pm, there were at least six officers still at the site, while workers painted over the graffiti on the walls.

Christmas celebrations could be heard going on inside the church.

The Salvation Army's response

The church's Christmas services proceeded as per normal after ensuring the safety of its congregants, the Salvation Army said in response to Mothership's queries.

As of 2:50pm, Salvation Army said it was unable to comment further as the case is under police investigation.

"Internally, we have not establish any particular links to Major Ruth Pascoe as of yet but [it] is being subjected to internal investigation at the moment as well," they added.

Mothership has reached out to the police for comment.

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