A repeat offender who assaulted three people and was a public nuisance near a pre-school has been sentenced to jail.

On Aug. 17, 2026, 54-year-old Singaporean Lim Sok Lay, who was in remand, was sentenced to six months and two weeks' jail after pleading guilty to two counts of assault, one count of being a public nuisance, and one count of voluntarily causing hurt to a security officer.

Lim was previously fined S$4,000 in 2022 and another S$4,000 in 2025 after harassing her neighbour, a nurse during the Covid-19 outbreak and for causing a commotion during her son's lion dance competition, respectively.

Some offences committed with daughter

Some of Lim's latest offences were committed with her daughter, 29-year-old Jolene Cheang Wan Ling.

Lim and Cheang faced 13 and 12 charges respectively.

Cheang pleaded guilty to one count each of assault, criminal intimidation and being a public nuisance.

She was sentenced to five months’ jail and a fine of S$1,500. Cheang's bail has been set at S$20,000, and she is expected to begin serving her sentence in September.

Yelled at pre-school teacher and children

According to court documents seen by Mothership, on Sep. 24, 2026, at about 9:30am to 10:15am, a female pre-school teacher was bringing a group of children to board the lift at One Punggol community hub.

Lim and Cheang went up to them and began shouting and gesticulating.

Lim also shouted about alleged child abuse, amongst other things.

Two male passersby intervened to protect the teacher and the children from potential harm.

After the teacher and her students entered the lift, Lim and Cheang began chasing one of the passers-by with the intention to physically attack him.

Hit passerby on head multiple times

The other passer-by, a 32-year-old Singapore permanent resident (PR), tried to stop Lim and Cheang from hitting the man, but they turned their attention to him instead.

Both women grabbed the PR's arms before hitting him on the head with their hands multiple times.

The attack, which was captured on CCTV footage, only stopped when a mall security guard intervened.

The PR sought treatment at Sengkang Polyclinic on the same day, where he was found to have a scrape on his left forearm and bruising behind his right ear.

Shouted profanities in school compound

In a separate incident, the two women and Lim's husband brought Cheang's son to a preschool in Edgefield Plains, Punggol before 8:53am on Jul. 18, 2025.

While at the foyer, Lim and Cheang shouted profanities and gesticulated.

Several people heard the shouting, and at around 8:53am, a member of the public called the police.

History of conflict with security officers

According to court documents, Lim and Cheang had some previous conflict with the security officers at Sparkletots.

After sending Cheang's son into the school premises, the family walked towards the exit, and as they walked past the security officers, Lim and Cheang took out their phones and started taking videos of the security officers.

According to court documents, a 51-year-old security officer anticipated that the trio would cause trouble and switched on his body-worn camera.

Lim hurled vulgarities at the security officer.

Another 72-year-old security officer took out his mobile phone to record a video of the situation, and at some point, he remarked that the trio was "crazy".

Enraged, Cheang attempted to snatch his phone away and tried to take a photo or video of his security pass.

The officer called for assistance through his walkie-talkie.

Pulled domestic worker's hair

A couple who were taking their four-year-old son to another pre-school nearby heard the commotion.

The husband told Cheang not to use vulgarities, but instead of stopping, Cheang walked up to the wife and said: "f*ck you and this is not your problem". The husband called the police.

As Cheang and Lim were walking away from the situation, they bumped into a Filipino domestic worker who was taking her employer's son to the same preschool as Cheang's son.

According to court documents, the children had a past conflict.

Cheang and Lim tried to ask the domestic worker if they could speak to her employers, but she refused, and a scuffle arose.

Lim and Cheang proceeded to pull the domestic worker's hair, prompting eyewitnesses, including the 51-year-old security officer, to intervene.

Punched security officer and took body-worn camera

The security officer told Lim and Cheang that he had a body-worn camera recording the incident.

Lim grabbed the camera off the officer and punched him on his left ear; the S$210 camera was taken and has not been recovered.

The mother-daughter duo was arrested later that day and ordered to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

Grabbed nurse's lanyard causing him to have breathing difficulties

On Jul. 20, 2025, while at IMH, Lim refused to return to her cubicle after speaking to Cheang as she was a co-accused.

A crisis alert team was activated soon after.

Lim was initially cooperative but turned aggressive after she heard Cheang screaming in the background.

Lim, who was lying down on her bed, kicked around before grabbing the lanyard of a 58-year-old Filipino nurse.

Lim grabbed the nurse's lanyard, causing him to have breathing difficulties until another staff nurse managed to intervene and break the lanyard.

Lim also scratched him on his left collarbone and bit him on his elbow.

IMH staff restrained Lim using restrainers and rapid tranquilisation.

The victim sought treatment and was diagnosed with neck tenderness with pain on breathing and swallowing; he was also diagnosed with a bite wound on his right elbow and left chest tenderness.

Threatened to kill nurse's family

In IMH, Cheang was allowed to have one physical visit per week by her next-of-kin.

She had initially requested a physical visit by her father, which was set to take place on Jul. 26, 2025.

However, on Jul. 24, 2025, she requested a tele-visit, which was approved but would therefore replace the physical visit that was scheduled.

Cheang requested the physical visit nonetheless, and on Jul. 26, 2025, at around 2:30pm, a 25-year-old female nurse explained to her that it was not possible.

Cheang, who was displeased, started banging her head against the wall.

She threatened the nurse and said: "If I am going out, I will go kill your family members".

“I want to talk to my father now or else you all wait.”

She repeated the threat multiple times.

Reoffended and stole items from supermarket

After their release from IMH, Lim and Cheang were offered bail but reoffended in August 2025.

They stole S$53.60 worth of items but made full restitution later.

However, on Mar. 27, 2026, they went to another preschool in Punggol, shouted and caused annoyance to the staff.

On Mar. 26, 2026, bail conditions were revised; Lim and Cheang were unable to furnish their bail and were remanded.

On Apr. 28, 2026, bail conditions for Cheang were revised and furnished.

Cheang has been on bail since.

A 17-year-old Singaporean boy was arrested for falsely claiming that his travel companions were in possession of a bomb and a vaporiser at Woodlands Checkpoint.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 18, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the boy was referred to the police on Aug. 14 at about 10:45pm.

The boy had just cleared arrival immigration clearance at the arrival bus hall with two other companions when he allegedly pointed to them and made comments that they were in possession of a bomb and a vaporiser, respectively.

An ICA officer conducting profiling duties nearby heard the comments and immediately stopped them and referred them for further checks.

The checks established that they did not have the alleged items.

The boy was subsequently arrested for allegedly committing public nuisance.

Police investigations are ongoing.

ICA said it takes all reports made regarding security threats or contraband seriously.

It will not hesitate to take action against those who make false or misleading claims that cause unnecessary public alarm.

ICA also reminded travellers to observe rules, conduct themselves in an orderly manner and comply with officers’ instructions when using the checkpoints.

A large chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling of a Housing and Development Board unit in Yishun, where an 86-year-old woman was at home at the time.

Heard a loud crashing sound

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place on Aug. 17 at a unit at Block 118 Yishun Ring Road.

The woman's son, surnamed Chen (transliteration), told the Chinese-language media that only his mother and wife were home when the incident happened.

At around 9am that morning, the pair heard a loud crashing sound coming from the kitchen bathroom.

When they went to investigate, they found that part of the ceiling above the sink had collapsed, with chunks of plaster scattered across the floor.

Chen said his mother usually uses the toilet at around the same time every morning.

Had she gone in a few minutes later that day, she could have been struck by the falling plaster, he said.

Ongoing renovation works

Aware that renovation works were being carried out in the flat above his unit, Chen decided to contact the authorities in hopes of getting the matter resolved, Shin Min reported.

At around 1:30pm, a man believed to be an employee from the authorities arrived to inspect the damage.

He took photographs of the affected area before heading upstairs to the unit above.

"They told me that once the renovations are finished, the contractor in charge of the renovations upstairs will coordinate with us," Chen said.

Chunk of plaster weighed about 2 to 3kg

According to Chen, the fallen piece of plaster was about 50cm long, 30cm wide and 5cm thick.

He also noticed that the steel reinforcement bars in the ceiling had been exposed after the plaster had fallen away.

Chen subsequently went upstairs to take a look and found several migrant workers carrying out renovation works in the unit.

He told them what had happened and asked if they could help him clear the fallen plaster.

They agreed and helped place the fallen plaster, which Chen estimated weighed about 2kg to 3kg, into a bag before taking it away for disposal.

"We've lived here for over 10 years, and this is the first time something like this has happened," Chen said. "Luckily, my mother wasn't hit. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

A Shin Min reporter who visited the block on Aug. 18 found a renovation notice posted near the HDB lift, stating that works were being carried out at the unit above.

According to the notice, the renovation works were scheduled from Aug. 11 to Sep. 9, with demolition works slated to take place from Aug. 11 to 13.

Cracks appeared in the ceiling of the master bedroom toilet

Chen also told Shin Min that small cracks began appearing in the ceiling of his master bedroom bathroom on the first day of the demolition works in the unit above.

"We started to worry then, and the kitchen bathroom was affected yesterday," he said.

He said the family remained concerned about loose plaster falling from the ceiling, but had no choice but to continue using the bathroom for the time being.

Chen added that he had asked the workers to remove some of the loose plaster in the kitchen bathroom area to reduce the risk of further pieces falling.

Speaking to Shin Min, the contractor carrying out the renovation works at the unit above said she was aware that pieces of plaster had fallen from the ceiling of the unit below.

She said the renovation works involved two bathrooms and a kitchen, with waterproofing works also being carried out in the bathrooms.

According to the contractor, Chen had contacted the renovation team about two or three weeks ago to report that the ceiling was starting to leak.

Although the renovation notice stated that demolition works would take place over three days, the contractor said it was completed on the first day.

She suspected that water from the leak had caused the plaster on the ceiling to become loose, making it prone to falling with even a slight impact.

"Nevertheless, we don't want to shirk our responsibility, and we will repair it free of charge after the renovation is completed," she said.

A 15-year-old female teenager has been arrested in relation to the false bomb threat at Xinmin Secondary School on Aug. 13.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed with Mothership on Aug. 18 that they arrested the teen.

Police investigations are ongoing.

False bomb threat

The police previously said they are investigating a case of communicating false information of a harmful thing after a false bomb threat incident at Xinmin Secondary School on Aug. 13.

In response to Mothership's queries, police said they were alerted to the incident at about 8:20am that day.

The police and school personnel conducted a thorough check on the premises, and no suspicious item was found, they said.

The offence of communicating false information of a harmful thing carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years, a fine which may extend to S$50,000, or both.

"The Police take all security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who intentionally communicate false information on bomb threats," they said.

A man, 79, died after he got into an accident with a car in the Orchard Road area on Aug. 11, 2026.

The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Grange Road and Paterson Road at about 6:45am.

The man was unconscious when he was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital, where he later died.

The police said a man, 46, was arrested for driving without due care and attention causing death.

Photos of the aftermath of the incident was shared on Facebook on Aug. 16.

One photo showed a man lying on the road and a paramedic was attending to him.

Another photo showed a traffic police signboard appealing for witnesses following the incident.

Elderly over-represented in pedestrian deaths

The annual Traffic Police (TP) figures in February 2026 showed that the elderly have been over-represented in pedestrian deaths.

The number of fatal accidents involving the elderly increased from 11 cases in 2024, to 27 cases in 2025.

This represented 75 per cent of the 36 pedestrian deaths in 2025, even though the elderly make up 12.9 per cent of Singapore’s overall population.

Before they even had a large family to raise, Luke insisted on buying a "big round table" that fits 10.

For him, mealtimes are precious bonding opportunities.

Now, he and his wife, Lay Hui, are raising nine kids together.

Took things as they came

Luke, an interventional radiologist, and Lay Hui, a housewife, did not plan for such a "large family".

"We just took it is as it came," Lay Hui shared in an interview for GovTech's 10th anniversary.

The couple's kids are named in alphabetical order. Again, not something that was planned.

"When we had Amanda, we couldn't decide what name to choose. So we just said, 'Okay, let's start with A'," the housewife shared.

Their large household turns heads, such as when the family shows up at church and takes up the entire pew, Luke shared.

While their large family is out of the norm, Lay Hui shared that they have recently found families who also have nine or ten kids.

No easy feat

Lay Hui frankly admitted that it is no easy feat.

On a school day, Lay Hui has her hands full being the "Grab" driver, going in and out of home to fetch the younger ones to school and later back from the MRT station.

Their oldest children are now in university or National Service, the couple shared.

When it comes to chores like laundry, dishwashing or mopping the floor, it's all hands on deck.

Lay Hui also tries to preserve the children's books, getting them to write on "rough paper" instead so the books can be reused as hand-me-downs.

Joy times nine

That being said, having nine kids is not without joys.

Tools like GovTech's LifeSG app help make admin matters, such as managing birth certificates and accessing ChildSG credits, easier.

It also came in handy when their oldest boy and third child had to go off for national service, the first in the family to do so.

For Luke, it all comes down to Lay Hui's resilience.

"As a woman, as a mother, to be able to have such a big family, to manage everything. I think, in itself, it's a celebration and success story," Luke commented.

"The children can say very interesting things and do things unexpectedly that make you feel, 'Oh, actually it's a blessing to have them around'," Lay Hui reflected.

Now, Lay Hui says that the absence of just one of the nine is palpable.

"Even when one is not at home, it's very quiet," she shared.

While kids can be kids and you cannot expect them to be "quiet all the time" or "do their homework every day", Lay Hui acknowledges that "[they themselves] are also not perfect".

"It has its challenges, but the joy is just seeing them grow up. And the joy is times nine," Lay Hui concluded.

A 35-year-old man who hit the buttocks of his infant daughter repeatedly and threw her onto a mattress was sentenced to nine months' jail.

The Straits Times (ST) reported that the man, who started abusing the infant when she was nine months old, pleaded guilty on Aug. 18 to two counts of ill-treating a child.

He cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity.

First incident

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that the abuse took place in a flat the man shared with his then-wife, the victim, as well as the couple's daughter who was two at the time.

On Jul. 2, 2024, the first incident occurred when the victim was nine months old.

At the time, the man had been working on his computer in a room.

His daughter, who was in a cot nearby, woke up shortly and began to cry.

The man got up from his chair, shone his phone at the victim’s face, put her on her back, and shouted at her to be quiet.

He then hit her with one of the pillows before throwing it at her. The man then got up from his seat and yelled at her again after she continued crying.

He also turned her to her side, and hit her bottom nine times.

The second incident took place a few months later on Nov. 29, 2024, when the man smacked his daughter's buttocks.

He then picked her up and threw her onto the mattress in her cot.

This incident, as well as the previous one, had been captured by a motion-activated camera in the house.

Divorced

At the time, the man's wife attempted unsuccessfully to stop him from abusing their child.

The woman subsequently made a report against the man in December 2024.

His lawyers said the couple got divorced a year later on December 2025, ST reported.

The man's two daughters are now cared for by his former wife, and since December 2024, he has had no contact with three of them.

He was diagnosed with major depressive disorder after the offences, and it was a minor to moderate contributory link to his committing the offences, his lawyers said.

A goldsmith store in Genting Highlands, Malaysia was robbed in under two minutes, with robbers making off with over RM1.7 million (S$534,778) of jewellery.

The incident occurred at SkyAvenue Mall in the morning of Aug. 17, according to The Star and New Straits Times.

Pahang police said initial investigations found that the suspects, believed to be three men, had travelled to Genting Highlands in a BMW before carrying out the robbery at 11:40am.

The masked suspects were armed with an axe and crowbars.

They reportedly pried open and smashed display cases before stealing five trays carrying 81 pieces of jewellery weighing 2.5kg.

After leaving the store two minutes later, they were seen heading down from the Highlands.

No security guard on duty

No customers were inside the store at the time, but two employees, a man and a woman, were on their shift.

A third employee was on her break.

It was found that no security guard was on duty at the time.

No suspect has been arrested to date.

A manhunt is underway.

Kallang Distripark will be redeveloped for private housing and is being prepared to do so.

It is currently a privately owned disused rubber factory converted into a warehouse site, The Straits Times reported.

On Aug. 14, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) published a proposed amendment to its Master Plan.

This involved introducing new roads, as well as carving up the site into several housing plots and a new neighbourhood park.

Private development proposal

A URA spokesperson said in response to Mothership's queries that the proposed amendments are to facilitate a private development proposal received by the agency.

The spokesperson said: "The specific use for the Reserve site has yet to be determined. More details, including the development timeline will be shared when ready."

URA has engaged the owner on the potential to retain one of the warehouses as a heritage marker within the proposed future park, the spokesperson added.

Noting that studies on this proposal are ongoing, the spokesperson added: "Where physical retention is not possible, agencies will work with the owner and relevant stakeholders to document and commemorate the history of the place through heritage interpretation initiatives, such as digital documentation or storyboards."

According to ST, the 13-hectare site has been zoned for housing since as early as 2003.

It is owned by entities associated with Lee Rubber Company, whose founder was Lee Kong Chian, a Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist.

With a portion of the site being freehold, the rest is on a 99-year lease expiring in 2067, ST reported.

It added that its attempts to reach Lee Rubber Company for comment were unsuccessful.

3 housing plots

ST reported that three iconic octagonal buildings, the Lee Rubber Godowns, are included at the site.

The site will see three housing plots being introduced at the site under proposed plans, with two meant purely for residential use.

Located adjacent to Kallang Bahru, the larger one is about 3.6 hectares in size, sitting largely on freehold land.

Property analysts estimated the site to yield about 1,200 condominium units, ST reported.

According to analysts, the other residential plot can have about 450 to 550 condo units built there.

The proposed zoning for the third housing plot on leasehold land includes commercial use on its first storey.

ST reported that it is about 2.4 hectares in size, with analysts estimating that it can contain about 600 to 800 condo units.

The rest of the site includes a 2-hectare park, new roads to facilitate access to the planned housing developments.

It also includes a 1.8-hectare reserve site where a specific use has yet to be determined.

Retiring, said Ng Eng Hen, was a decision made to "reclaim [his] life before politics".

The former Defence Minister, who announced his retirement from politics in 2025 after nearly 24 years of service, told Lianhe Zaobao that he is now "in a good place".

"I keep my mind active... my five grandchildren [are an] absolute delight.

My wife and I, we were very fortunate. [Our] children allow us to go out with them, and we take them out quite often."

Asked about his absence from any post-retirement work, such as sitting on boards, Ng reiterated that he is "retired from politics".

"I've been working very hard for 40 over years... It's my Liberation Day," he quipped.

He added that he wanted to "reclaim" the life he had before entering politics, including visiting hawker centres and taking short holidays with his family.

No need for actualisation

Ng was speaking at a coffee shop in Toa Payoh, before leaving for Canberra, Australia, to receive the Officer of the Order of Australia award on Aug. 18.

The award is conferred on individuals who have demonstrated distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or humanity at large.

Away from the formalities of the trip, Ng said he was looking forward to eating Vietnamese pho there.

"I cannot tahan too much angmo jiak (western food)," he quipped. "After two to three days, I’m dying already... I just like Asian food."

On the topic of post-retirement work, Ng acknowledged that he had received "a few requests" to join boards or take up directorships, but said he had no need for further "actualisation".

"If I haven’t actualised by now, I can’t believe I could do more actualisation," he said.

"But do it if you think it adds value."

Receiving international awards

Ng was also asked what receiving international honours meant to him and to Singapore.

Earlier in March 2026, he was presented with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz) by German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius.

This was in recognition of his contributions towards strengthening defence ties between Singapore and Germany.

"I’ve been Defence Minister for 14 years, so I suppose I had the advantage of length to see that relationship come to fruition," Ng said.

He was also quick to note that such recognition was not solely a reflection of an individual minister’s work, but also of the broader efforts of the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

A more uncertain world

Finally, Ng reflected on the changing global security environment, noting how the relationship between the United States (U.S.) and China had evolved.

"Previously I thought, yes, there were tensions between U.S. and China, but the U.S. was a stabilising force," he said.

"As I dealt with both U.S. and China, my conclusion is neither wanted war. But it's changed."

He pointed to shifts in U.S. trade and foreign policy as a major change.

"Now, trade is weaponised, supply chains are weaponised, and because of that systemic risks have gone up," he said.

Against such a backdrop of changing global rules, he said Singapore should focus on maintaining internal stability and building partnerships with other countries.

"We’re better off preparing for internal stability, forming partnerships, so that when times are hard we can at least ensure some supply chains," he said.