A 55-year-old man was sentenced to five weeks in jail last Friday (27 September) after pleading guilty to one charge under the Protection from Harassment Act and one charge of mischief.
His offence? Leaving notes at his neighbour’s mailbox and verbally abusing them.
And it might be due to a noisy neighbour (again).
Here’s what happened.
Man Jailed for Harassing Alleged “Noisy” Neighbour, Leaving Threatening Notes and Damaging Property
The man, who was unemployed at the time of the offence, lived with his uncle and aunt.
The victim, a 42-year-old woman living in the unit next to man, had been neighbours with his uncle and aunt for 11 years.
Investigations revealed that the man began verbally abusing the victim’s family and leaving notes on their mailbox a few years after they moved in.
According to the victim, they first discovered the abusive notes on their mailbox on 13 March 2023.
The victim made multiple police reports, and the man eventually admitted that he had an argument with the victim due to the noise made by her daughter at night.
He confessed to leaving the notes on the mailbox to vent his frustration.
He also admitted to leaving notes multiple times but could not recall the exact number of instances.
CCTV footage showed him approaching the mailbox and sticking something on it on 3 April 3 2023. The police later removed the notes for investigation.
Photos attached to the court documents revealed that he had written curses such as “Chinese woman come to Singapore to die” on the notes.
In addition to the harassment, he was also accused of charging towards the female neighbour with a knife and scissors and smashing two of her flower pots.
What To Do If You’ve a Noisy Neighbour
Firstly, don’t leave notes at their mailbox, or smash their flower pots.
The first step is to try resolving the issue amicably by talking to them nicely.
If direct communication doesn’t work, you can seek help from grassroots leaders or apply for mediation at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC), where trained volunteers can facilitate a discussion between both parties.
If these initial steps don’t resolve the issue, you have several formal options.
You can file a complaint with the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT), a specialized court that handles neighbour disputes.
Yes, you’re basically suing your neighbour.
The CDRT may order both parties to attend mediation before hearing the case. In cases of harassment or severe distress, you can consider filing a claim under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA).
Additionally, you can make a police report if the noise constitutes a potential criminal offense.
For more information, you can watch this video, which also discuss a potential new law that will be useful:
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