SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced to six months’ jail on Friday (Dec 9) for starting a fire at the home of his ex-girlfriend’s new beau on the day of their wedding.
Surenthiran Sugumaran, 30, also locked the groom’s gate with a bicycle lock before pouring petrol onto a shoe rack outside the flat and setting the rack on fire.
He pleaded guilty in October to one count of mischief by fire, with a second charge of wrongful confinement taken into consideration for sentencing.
On Friday, District Judge Eugene Teo told Surenthiran that the offences committed were serious. Similar past cases involving fire at properties involved lengthy jail terms, he said.
“This case is going to be no different,” said Judge Teo. “A reason for this is such offences are potentially very dangerous for the occupants in the flat.”
He said he also took into account how Surenthiran planned and carried out the offences, including the fact that he locked the premises.
“In your favour, although, is the fact that you have now taken responsibility for your actions,” he said.
WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY
The court previously heard that Surenthiran discovered through an Instagram post that his ex-girlfriend was getting married the next day.
Out of anger and jealousy, he planned to lock the main gate of his ex-girlfriend’s husband-to-be and set a fire to cause inconvenience to the groom ahead of the wedding ceremony.
Surenthiran filled an empty bottle with petrol and headed to the victim’s home in Jurong West in the wee hours of Mar 12, 2022, dressed in a black hoodie and long pants.
To avoid detection by police cameras, he drew the hood over his face and took the lift to the 12th floor before walking up the stairs to the 13th storey.
After locking the victim’s main gate with a bicycle lock, he poured petrol onto a shoe rack outside the unit and set it on fire.
He then walked down the stairs, took the lift to the ground floor and threw the lighter in the bushes before riding home.
Six pairs of shoes and one pair of slippers were damaged in the fire, with total losses to the victim estimated at about S$410.
The judge allowed Surenthiran some time to speak to his family before being taken away.
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