In land-scarce Singapore, many of us live in high-rise buildings in close proximity to our neighbours.
However, this can inevitably lead to disputes between residents.
One woman living in a Tampines condominium, Madam Lim, was constantly harassed by her upstairs neighbour, who poured soapy water and bounced a basketball for prolonged periods, over a year.
On Wednesday (1 Sep), the neighbour, Lee Soh Geok, was found guilty of 3 charges of harassment and fined $10,500.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Lee would pour water from her 2nd-floor unit’s balcony at Citylife @ Tampines onto Madam Lim’s roof extension.
Sometimes, this would happen throughout the day, even at midnight on some days. The residue would flow down Madam Lim’s roof into her home.
On one particular day, her children shouted at Lee to stop pouring water. However, she responded by pouring another bucket of water down.
Besides that, Lee would also deliberately bounce a ball in her unit several times a day, creating an unreasonable amount of noise.
On one occasion, the bouncing lasted 45 minutes.
Between 29 Jan 2019 and 21 May 2020, Madam Lim recorded 123 occasions of water-splashing and 39 instances of noise caused by basketball bouncing.
This caused Madam Lim distress as she endured the harassment.
In July, Lee claimed in court that she poured water to clean the roof. But Madam Lim’s lawyer said there was no evidence of this, and the roof was always clean.
Lee had allegedly started pouring water in 2016, soon after Madam Lim’s house installed the roof extension.
Before this, Lee had requested the condo management to replace the fixed awnings on the roof of Madam Lim’s unit with retractable ones.
She had also previously tried to ask her neighbours to pay for roof cleaning 3 times a week, amounting to about $600 per unit for each wash.
The board then rejected the idea as it was deemed disproportionate.
Madam Lim’s lawyer suggested earlier that Lee’s unhappiness with these events led her to pour water in such a manner, reported CNA.
Lee had also disregarded complaints about bouncing the basketball, claiming she had a right to do what she wanted in her home.
She also admitted in July that she continued to splash water onto Madam Lim’s home to date.
Between 29 Jan 2019 and 22 May 2020, Madam Lim lodged 12 police reports against Lee.
However, she was told that the police could not prosecute Lee. Madam Lim then mounted a private prosecution against Lee.
Her lawyer voiced that she did not want revenge—she only wanted to stop the harassment.
On Wednesday (1 Sep), Lee was found guilty of 3 charges under the Protection from Harassment Act for harassing Madam Lim.
The judge fined Lee $3,500 for each charge, amounting to a total fine of $10,500.
It is saddening to hear neighbourly relations sour, resulting in court prosecutions.
When going about our daily lives, we must remember that small acts like pouring water and bouncing a ball can cause disturbances to those around us.
As neighbours, we can all afford to be more understanding and considerate of those living close to us.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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