Unable to afford the increased rent set out by his landlord, a man strangely decided to set fire to a flat in Boon Lay.
He reportedly did so to distract the landlord, hoping it’d prevent him from raising the rent.
However, the fire did more than distract the landlord, as he suffered injuries while extinguishing the fire.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
On Friday (5 May), the tenant pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to eight months’ jail.
According to Shin Min Daily News, 36-year-old Lin Ting Hu (transliterated from Chinese) and his girlfriend were tenants of an apartment along Boon Lay Drive.
Source: Google Maps
In February, the 45-year-old landlord informed them about his intention to raise their rent two months later — from S$750 to S$950.
Lin reportedly had trouble paying the increased rent and decided to set fire to the flat in an attempt to distract the landlord. Lin hoped that doing so would prevent the landlord from raising the rental fees.
As Lin left for work on 5 Apr morning, he threw a lighted lighter into a corner of the living room that was partitioned off as a storage area.
About an hour later, the landlord was awakened by the smoke. He then attempted to extinguish the fire and called SCDF for help.
In the process of putting out the fire, the landlord sustained burn injuries to his right limbs and was given medical leave for 13 days.
Electronic equipment and clothing in the apartment were destroyed as a result of the fire. The landlord also had to fork out more than S$3,000 to pay for repairs.
Shin Min Daily News reported that Lin initially denied being responsible for the fire.
He only admitted to the crime after police showed him CCTV footage that suggested the time he left for work coincided with the time when the fire started.
On Friday (5 May) Lin pleaded guilty to one count of arson.
Pleading for leniency, Lin shared that he plans on getting married next year and hopes to reunite with his family residing in Malaysia.
Additionally, Lin stated that he’s the sole breadwinner in his family, which include his elderly parents and his grandmother, who’s in her 90s.
The 36-year-old also apologised to the landlord in court.
Lin was eventually sentenced to eight months’ jail for his offence — he could‘ve faced a jail term of up to seven years.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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