Man arrested for defacing church statue in Singapore

By Umar Idris

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) – A man has been arrested in Singapore for his suspected involvement in a case of criminal trespass and defiling a statue in a church, local media reported on Friday.

A statue at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Singapore’s Hougang town was defaced last week, according to a report by Channel News Asia.

Investigators were able to track down a 37-year-old suspect and arrested him on Wednesday.

The man will be charged in court on Friday with criminal trespass and defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class, the report said.

If found guilty of trespass, he could be jailed for up to three months, fined up to 1,500 Singapore dollars ($1,116), or both, it added.

He faces up to five years in prison, a fine, or both if found guilty of defiling a place of worship with the intent of insulting a religion.

Police will seek a court order to remand the man at the Institute of Mental Health, the report added.

“The police do not condone acts that insult the religious harmony at the places of worship of any class in Singapore and perpetrators will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law,” the police was quoted as saying.