A Singapore judge has rejected an appeal by a Swiss graffiti vandal to lower his five-month jail term and instead added two months to the sentence.
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Justice V.K. Rajah ruled on Wednesday that the 32-year-old computer consultant’s initial sentence of two months for trespassing was insufficient.
The man had appealed against his punishment, arguing he should serve a three-month sentence for vandalism with the trespassing sentence concurrently, rather than consecutively.
He also faces three strokes of the cane for breaking into a train depot with an accomplice and drawing graffiti on two subway carriages on May 16.
While committing the offence, he had been joined by a Briton who later left the country and was not put on trial. Workers did not report the crime for two days.
Singapore punishes vandals severely with up to eight lashes of the cane, three years in prison and a fine of up to 2,000 Singapore dollars (SFr1,550).
“Their conduct was nothing short of audacious and intemperate. This was a stunt that was plainly designed to attract international notoriety to a pair of irresponsible, attention-seeking individuals,” Rajah said.
“The laws of Singapore proscribing vandalism are indeed severe. However, needless to say, these are the very laws that are largely responsible for a clean and graffiti-free environment.”
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Vandal appeals against sentence in Singapore
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Speaking on Tuesday, the man’s lawyer was unable to say whether his client had already received the three strokes of the cane to which he had also been sentenced. The Singapore authorities refused to comment on this aspect. Acts of vandalism can be punished by up to eight strokes of the cane in Singapore. The…
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On Friday, the 32 year old had pleaded guilty to the crimes he is accused of having committed on May 16. A British citizen, who was accused alongside the Swiss man, has left the country. The two men are said to have broken into a train depot by cutting through a security fence and then…
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The authorities in the city of Bern have declared war on graffiti. The “Casa Blanca” campaign has been running since 2005. But still a number of faces – some well-known, others less so – keep popping up here and there, only to disappear again, as in real life. (Pictures: Christoph Balsiger, swissinfo)
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.