A tourist who illegally flew a drone over Marina Bay to capture aerial shots last month was fined S$12,000 on Thursday (25 July).
68-year-old Chinese national Zhong Zhensheng pleaded guilty to three offences under the Air Navigation Act.
The court also considered two additional charges under the same Act during sentencing.
According to The Straits Times (ST), the violation occurred on 25 June when Zhong visited Marina Barrage during his holiday in Singapore.
He brought his DJI Mavic Air 2 drone to take aerial shots of Marina Bay.
Zhong conducted two separate flights, each lasting 12 to 13 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 148m above mean sea level.
However, Marina Barrage was designated as a protected area under the Air Navigation Act earlier this year.
The Act requires a permit for operating drones in protected areas for recreational purposes at altitudes above 60m.
Source: untldshots on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only
Zhong did not obtain a permit.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) detected the drone and alerted the police.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Cheah Wenjie argued that Zhong, having registered his drone in China, was aware that operating unmanned aircraft is regulated.
He criticised Zhong for failing to exercise due diligence, especially given the accessibility of information on protected areas online.
In response, Zhong’s defence lawyer, Danial Loh from BR Law Corporation, noted that there were no signs at Marina Barrage indicating that drone flights were prohibited.
Mr Loh also mentioned that the drone’s built-in feature for identifying safe flying areas was not updated with official data.
Thus, any “hapless individual” could have made the same mistake.
DPP Cheah requested a fine between S$15,000 and S$18,000, while Mr Loh argued for S$9,000.
The court ultimately fined Zhong S$12,000.
Also read: Man in China uses drone to catch unfaithful wife with her boss
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Featured image adapted from Caolan R. on Unsplash and tropicalpixsingapore on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
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