Elderly man who accidentally set private bus on fire jailed for three months
Unable to sleep, a 67-year-old man went for a stroll in the middle of the night.
Along the way, he picked up a bottle of liquid to smell, which made him dizzy and caused him to knock the bottle over.
He then lit a match and threw it at the liquid, causing it to catch fire and burn the tire of a private bus.
On Nov 6, Gunasagran (transliteration) was sentenced to three months in jail, after he pleaded guilty to one count of negligence that caused a fire, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Investigations revealed that on May 11 last year at 9.30pm, a 35-year-old private bus driver parked his bus next to Hong Wen School along Towner Road after finishing his shift.
Around midnight, unable to sleep, Gunasagran wandered around the void deck of his HDB block and found a bottle of liquid, which he put into his bag. The bag also contained a box of matches that he always carried with him to work.
Caused $8,000 in damage
At 12.12am, Gunasagran walked to Hong Wen School and sat next to the bus parked there, near the left front tire. He opened the bottle and the fumes made him dizzy and caused him to accidentally knock the bottle over.
Gunasagran then took out a match, lit it, and threw it at the liquid, which caught fire instantly. This frightened him so much that he immediately ran across the overpass and fled the scene.
A passerby saw the bus on fire and notified the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). After tests, the liquid was found to contain the flammable substance cyclohexanone.
Gunasagran was arrested on May 16 last year and released on bail the following day.
Bus company took 12 days to find new bus
The bus company was unable to repair the vehicle, and it took them 12 days to find another bus to replace it, resulting in a loss of more than $8,000.
The company had spent $61,000 yuan to purchase the bus. However, as it lacked the technology to repair the burned parts, it could only cancel the purchase and buy another vehicle.
The prosecutor told the court that Gunasagran felt dizzy after smelling the liquid and threw a lit match into it out of boredom, urging the judge to sentence him to four to six months in jail.
Gunasagran's lawyer argued that he was under immense pressure at the time, which led to a momentary lapse in judgment, pleading with the judge to consider a two-month prison sentence.
