SINGAPORE – A man had already been arrested for threatening his family members with a gun-shaped lighter, and police had seized various toy guns he kept at home.
But Poh Jing Yang was undeterred and continued buying such toy weapons online, before being caught again.
On Feb 2, the 38-year-old was sentenced to 14 months’ jail and fined $6,500 after he admitted to four charges, including one count of criminal intimidation and two offences of possessing guns without a licence.
Under the Arms and Explosives Act, the definition of arms includes any kind of gun from which a shot, bullet or missile can be discharged.
Poh also admitted to a separate Customs Act offence involving duty unpaid cigarettes. Eight other charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The court heard that at around 9pm on Feb 10, 2024, Poh went to his uncle’s home and began shouting vulgarities. It was not stated what caused him to do so.
When Poh and his uncle got into a verbal dispute, Poh pulled out a black pistol-shaped lighter and pointed it towards his uncle and cousin, shouting in Hokkien and Mandarin: “I will shoot you.”
Afraid for their safety, his uncle and cousin closed the door. Poh then left the scene.
Court documents do not state who called the police, but Poh was arrested at his home around 11pm the same day.
The authorities seized various toy weapons, including two airsoft pistols and a bowgun-like device from his home, and sent them to the Force Armament Base for examination.
Poh said he had bought the airsoft pistols via online marketplace Carousell, and had received the bowgun-like device from a friend as a gift.
He was bailed out on Feb 16, 2024. But just eight months later, Poh was found to have bought new toy weapons.
On Oct 21, 2024, a pedestrian along New Upper Changi Road made a police report that he had heard an airsoft gun being fired and felt a sharp pain on his back area.
At that time, Poh and a person identified as Claus Ong Kok Yan had been in a car they had rented from a multi-storey carpark along the same road, according to police investigations.
Poh initially faced one charge of causing hurt via a rash act by shooting the airsoft gun, but he was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal for this charge in April 2025.
This means Poh cannot be charged again for the same offence.
The police went to Poh’s home again on Oct 29 and seized 10 toy rifles and one airsoft rifle from his home.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lu Huiyi said: “The accused had purchased the parts to these 10 exhibits online and assembled the rifles using these parts.”
The prosecutor said deterrence was paramount in this case.
Asking for 14 to 17 months’ jail and a fine, DPP Lu said: “We highlight that the accused had reoffended on bail, and a substantial quantity of rifles were involved.”
His lawyer Roy Paul Mukkam said the criminal intimidation charge was serious, but there was ultimately no harm caused and there was “no indication of maliciousness”.
Mr Mukkam added that his client has been seeing a psychiatrist in prison, which he argued shows a sense of remorse.
Describing collecting toy guns as Poh’s “hobby”, Mr Mukkam stressed that his client was not part of a syndicate which distributed, trafficked or made commercial gain from these weapons.
“He just wants to fix them up and hang them on the wall,” said the lawyer.
For every charge of possessing guns without a licence, Poh could have been fined up to $5,000 for every gun and jailed up to three years.