SINGAPORE: An AETOS security officer asked his colleague to film a video of him at a booth in Woodlands Checkpoint and posed by pointing his loaded revolver at the other man.
The colleagues, both 23, were jailed on Wednesday (Feb 5) for taking photos of Woodlands Checkpoint, which is a protected place, without authorisation.
Muhammad Noorarman Shah Anwar, who suggested and posed for the images, was sentenced to four weeks in prison.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of taking a photo of a protected place. Another charge of endangering his colleague's safety by pointing the firearm at him was considered in sentencing.
Muhammad Amali Abdul Halim, who took the images, was jailed for one week after pleading guilty to the single charge.
On Sep 28, 2024, Noorarman and Amali were on shift at Woodlands Checkpoint, where they were assigned to screen cars and motorcycles.
The court heard that Noorarman carried a service revolver as part of his duties.
Around 4.30pm, Noorarman asked Amali to take photos of him wearing a ski mask as he thought this would be "cool", Deputy Public Prosecutor June Ngian said.
Noorarman put on a ski mask he had prepared in advance and Amali took photos of him in various poses in a checkpoint booth.
The interior of the booth was captured in the background of each photo.
Noorarman then instructed Amali to take a video of him with Amali acting as a traveller and approaching the booth from the outside.
While Amali took this video, Noorarman posed by pointing his fully loaded revolver at his colleague through the glass of the booth.
Both security officers carried out these actions to amuse themselves and were not authorised to take photos at the checkpoint, Ms Ngian said.
Later, Noorarman posted a collage of the photos and the video on his Instagram Stories. He did this for attention despite Amali telling him not to, the prosecutor said.
Noorarman eventually took down the posts after a friend advised him to.
However, the AETOS officer in charge of Noorarman and Amali made a police report two days after the incident.
The prosecution asked for six to eight weeks' jail for Noorarman, and two to four weeks' jail for Amali.
Noorarman was the "driving mind" for the scheme, Ms Ngian said, while Amali "followed along" and also tried to advise him not to post the images on social media.
Noorarman's lawyer sought a fine or shorter jail term, urging the court to recognise his client's rehabilitative potential.
He said Noorarman was now focused on providing for his young family, including his infant daughter.
Amali, who did not have a lawyer, argued for leniency as he was a first-time offender who committed a "silly mistake".
"I think that I don't deserve the imprisonment," he said, describing his family in which he is the main breadwinner.
"I did this thing just for fun and I didn't know that it will be this serious and I'm really (in remorse) right now," he said.
District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan stressed that both men were deployed to Woodlands Checkpoint to ensure its safety, and that the checkpoint's security cannot be compromised at any time.
"So to say that your actions are mere silly mistakes is an understatement. And as AETOS officers trained in your jobs, I'm surprised that you actually say this.
"It is a stupid thing to do, I do agree," he said.
He added that their actions went against all the rigorous training they had received, and crossed the threshold for imprisonment.
Under the Infrastructure Protection Act, the punishment for taking a photo in a protected place without authorisation is up to two years in jail, a fine of up to S$20,000 (US$15,000) or both.
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The colleagues, both 23, were jailed on Wednesday (Feb 5) for taking photos of Woodlands Checkpoint, which is a protected place, without authorisation.
Muhammad Noorarman Shah Anwar, who suggested and posed for the images, was sentenced to four weeks in prison.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of taking a photo of a protected place. Another charge of endangering his colleague's safety by pointing the firearm at him was considered in sentencing.
Muhammad Amali Abdul Halim, who took the images, was jailed for one week after pleading guilty to the single charge.
On Sep 28, 2024, Noorarman and Amali were on shift at Woodlands Checkpoint, where they were assigned to screen cars and motorcycles.
The court heard that Noorarman carried a service revolver as part of his duties.
Around 4.30pm, Noorarman asked Amali to take photos of him wearing a ski mask as he thought this would be "cool", Deputy Public Prosecutor June Ngian said.
Noorarman put on a ski mask he had prepared in advance and Amali took photos of him in various poses in a checkpoint booth.
The interior of the booth was captured in the background of each photo.
Noorarman then instructed Amali to take a video of him with Amali acting as a traveller and approaching the booth from the outside.
While Amali took this video, Noorarman posed by pointing his fully loaded revolver at his colleague through the glass of the booth.
Both security officers carried out these actions to amuse themselves and were not authorised to take photos at the checkpoint, Ms Ngian said.
Later, Noorarman posted a collage of the photos and the video on his Instagram Stories. He did this for attention despite Amali telling him not to, the prosecutor said.
Noorarman eventually took down the posts after a friend advised him to.
However, the AETOS officer in charge of Noorarman and Amali made a police report two days after the incident.
The prosecution asked for six to eight weeks' jail for Noorarman, and two to four weeks' jail for Amali.
Noorarman was the "driving mind" for the scheme, Ms Ngian said, while Amali "followed along" and also tried to advise him not to post the images on social media.
Noorarman's lawyer sought a fine or shorter jail term, urging the court to recognise his client's rehabilitative potential.
He said Noorarman was now focused on providing for his young family, including his infant daughter.
Amali, who did not have a lawyer, argued for leniency as he was a first-time offender who committed a "silly mistake".
"I think that I don't deserve the imprisonment," he said, describing his family in which he is the main breadwinner.
"I did this thing just for fun and I didn't know that it will be this serious and I'm really (in remorse) right now," he said.
District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan stressed that both men were deployed to Woodlands Checkpoint to ensure its safety, and that the checkpoint's security cannot be compromised at any time.
"So to say that your actions are mere silly mistakes is an understatement. And as AETOS officers trained in your jobs, I'm surprised that you actually say this.
"It is a stupid thing to do, I do agree," he said.
He added that their actions went against all the rigorous training they had received, and crossed the threshold for imprisonment.
Under the Infrastructure Protection Act, the punishment for taking a photo in a protected place without authorisation is up to two years in jail, a fine of up to S$20,000 (US$15,000) or both.
Continue reading...