Earlier this year, cameras on a Tesla captured a man scratching the vehicle with a key.
The footage quickly became viral on social media due to the impressive feature of the car’s 360-degree Sentry Mode cameras, which recorded the perpetrator in action even when the car wasn’t in use.
The man has now received a fine of S$2,000 as a result of his behaviour.
According to TODAY, 39-year-old Hoon Jen Ken received a S$2,000 fine for scratching a Tesla electric car in an open-air carpark on Friday (8 Jul).
Mr Hoon said he’d first met the vehicle’s owner on 6 Mar and became annoyed with how he was driving his car.
Several minutes later, Hoon witnessed the vehicle parked near Block 379 Clementi Avenue 5. He then scratched the right back door of the car with a house key.
Source: SGRV on Facebook
Upon his return, the vehicle’s owner found the damage alongside the side of the door in the form of a long scratch mark.
Source: SGRV on Facebook
The car, a Tesla Model 3, has a security feature called ‘Sentry Mode’, allowing in-car cameras to automatically record footage of its surroundings when the vehicle is locked or parked.
The owner thus used this feature to observe the recorded footage and discovered the incident of Hoon scratching his car.
He then filed a police report with the Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre and sent his vehicle for repairs. The total cost of the repairs was S$450.
TODAY reports that Hoon requested for leniency over the incident of no jail time, expressing his regret over committing the crime.
Speaking to District Judge Joanne Leong, he said,
I didn’t know I did something wrong. It was a mistake on my part, it was something I shouldn’t have done.
Judge Leong noted Hoon compensated the owner for the damage before the court charged him with the offence.
In addition, the cost of repairs was “relatively low” at S$450, which he had compensated the victim before being brought to court.
Hoon pleaded guilty to one count of committing mischief. For his offence, he could have received a jail term of up to two years, a fine or both.
No matter the regret felt in the aftermath, vandalism is against the law. Committing such crimes in the heat of the moment reflects poorly on offenders.
However, it is also commendable of the man to make amends before getting charged. This does show that he’s willing to turn over a new leaf and realise the error of his ways.
Hopefully, the penalty served will ensure such incidents do not occur again.
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Featured image adapted from SGRV on Facebook.
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