Featured image adapted from court documents via CNA and The Straits Times.
An elderly contractor took his rivalry with competitors to new heights by spray-painting over their advertisements at a Built-to-Order (BTO) estate in Ang Mo Kio.
The man even worked with his wife to cut his own posters to make them harder to remove.
His actions landed him a 10-day jail term.
Source: Court documents via CNA
75-year-old Singaporean Lee Sai Koon is the sole owner of a firm called Tong Sheng Impex. The company designs, manufactures, and installs metal storage racks.
Lee competed with other contractors to advertise in BTO estates.
On 29 June 2025, Lee headed to Block 246A Ang Mo Kio Street 21 to advertise his products.
However, he saw that a competing company had beaten him there and placed six posters at the lift lobby notice board.
Lee tried to open the notice board to tear them down, but found it to be locked.
Not willing to give up, he retrieved a spray paint can and sprayed black paint over the notice board to block the posters.
Source: Court documents via CNA
A resident subsequently made a police report.
Police found CCTV footage of Lee’s actions but could not identify him.
They called Lee to inform him about the investigation, although he was not yet a suspect.
Lee then returned to Block 246A and unsuccessfully attempted to clean the spray paint off.
On 27 Aug 2025, Lee and his wife went to Block 403A Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, part of the Toa Payoh Ridge BTO.
They entered the lifts to put up posters for his firm on the acrylic boards meant to protect the walls of new BTOs.
The couple removed their competitors’ posters before putting up their own.
Lee proceeded to use a penknife to cut his own posters. This way, it would come off in small pieces if a competitor tried to tear them down.
Source: Court documents via The Straits Times
He also ended up damaging the acrylic boards with his penknife. The CCTV camera in the lifts recorded the couple’s actions.
After pasting his advertising in five lifts, he also placed them on lift lobby walls and riser doors, cutting these as well.
Residents of Block 403A and 403B later lodged 13 police reports about the cut posters.
On 26 Jan, the police arrested Lee.
On 22 Sept, Lee pleaded guilty to three counts of mischief in court.
The prosecution revealed that Lee had been convicted over 10 times in the past for other crimes, including cheating and voluntarily causing hurt.
The defence pleaded for a lenient sentence of five days in jail, citing his client’s alleged poor health.
Ultimately, the judge handed Lee a 10-day jail sentence.
His wife received a conditional warning.
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Featured image adapted from court documents via CNA and The Straits Times.