SINGAPORE: A food delivery rider stole two cans of pork from a supermarket and placed them on a shelf at the entrance of a mosque.
Ian Poh, 30, did so deliberately, knowing that Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and that his actions would anger the community at Masjid Al-Ansar.
Poh was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail on Thursday (Apr 4) after he pleaded guilty to one count each of theft and committing an act which he knew was prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups.
On May 15 last year, Poh walked out of a Sheng Siong Supermarket at Upper Changi Road without paying for two cans of pork worth S$9.50 (US$7.05)
He then cycled to Masjid Al-Ansar in Bedok North at about 10pm and placed the two cans of pork on a shelf outside meant for food delivery items.
“The accused had done so knowing that the consumption of pork was forbidden in Islam. He further knew that his actions would cause anger amongst the Muslim community in Masjid Al-Ansar,” court documents stated.
The next day, at about 4.30am, the first congregants to the mosque arriving for morning prayers discovered the two cans of pork on the shelf.
“They were shocked and offended, and immediately took a picture of the two cans of pork, before throwing them into the rubbish bin nearby,” according to court documents.
The congregants raised the matter to mosque staff and news of the pork spread among other congregants, who told staff that they were offended and insulted.
They added that this was an insensitive act to do at a place of Muslim worship.
The police were informed about the incident later that day. After investigations, police officers identified Poh on May 17 and arrested him.
Poh told the investigation officer that he thought that his actions would enrage the Muslim community and hence spur officers to investigate what he called “the voices he heard in his head”.
Poh was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health from May 19 to Jun 1, 2023, for psychiatric observation and evaluation.
His psychiatric report stated that Poh had previous psychiatric episodes in June 2021 and again in April 2022. On both occasions, Poh had heard voices which told him, among other things, to kill himself.
He also had a history of substance abuse for sniffing glue, consuming cough syrup and using methamphetamine.
Poh was diagnosed with substance-induced psychotic disorder and the report found that his psychotic symptoms had contributed to his offences. However, he was found to be of sound mind and fit to plead guilty.
The court had ordered Poh to be assessed for his suitability for a mandatory treatment order (MTO) ahead of his sentencing. An MTO directs an offender suffering from certain treatable psychiatric conditions to undergo psychiatric treatment.
Referring to the MTO report on Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie said that Poh had been found unsuitable for two reasons: Poh was not keen to take follow-up action for his substance abuse and lacked a supervisory figure who could help him.
Mr Cheah also pointed out that Poh’s psychotic episodes were induced by the substances he took voluntarily, and that Poh knew that consuming drugs would cause him to hear voices.
Poh’s voluntary consumption of substances, even knowing that the effects might be dangerous and dire, was an aggravating factor, Mr Cheah said.
Turning to the offences, Mr Cheah said that Poh had defiled a place of worship and displayed a “pattern of threatening to use pork to insult Muslims”.
He cited Poh’s reports, which disclosed that Poh had previously threatened to put pork at the flat of his Muslim ex-girlfriend, and mentioned throughout their one-year relationship that he would do the same at the mosque, which he then did.
District Judge Kenneth Chin described the circumstances of Poh’s offence as “highly aggravated” as they involved deliberate offensive conduct to a place of worship.
Religious and racial harmony is essential to Singapore’s social fabric, with effort and progress made in maintaining the harmony not to be taken for granted, the judge said.
“Offences that jeopardise the foundation of such harmony should be firmly dealt with,” he added, noting that Poh’s actions had disturbed the congregants.
Addressing Poh, the judge then said: “I hope that you have learned your lessons from this episode and please stay (away from) trouble upon your release.”
For committing an act that is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups, Poh could have been jailed for up to three years, or fined, or both.
For theft, he could have been jailed up to seven years, and fined.