SINGAPORE — A 36-year-old man with bipolar disorder was ordered to undergo two years of mandatory treatment on Monday (March 1), after pleading guilty to breaking into his friend’s home to steal a tortoise.

Roger Khoo Zhen Xuan was in the midst of a manic relapse when he thought the other man had promised to give him the reptile.

Khoo then posted a picture of himself with the tortoise on social media, claiming that he had gotten a new pet.

An Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist found that Khoo’s bipolar disorder had relapsed at the time of his offence, which would have affected his judgement and control.

This meant he was suitable for a mandatory treatment order — a community sentencing option offered to offenders suffering from mental conditions that contributed to the offence. 

He had pleaded guilty in January to one count of criminal trespass with the intention to annoy his friend and former schoolmate, Mr Huang Guo Sheng.

District Judge May Mesenas took into consideration a second charge of him leaving his Yishun home for a non-permitted reason under Covid-19 laws.

The court previously heard that the incident happened on May 23 last year. 

Circuit breaker regulations to restrict movement and activities were in force then to limit the spread of Covid-19, with people only allowed to leave their homes for essential purposes such as buying groceries.

At about noon, Khoo went over to Mr Huang’s home in Sembawang. Seeing that the other man was not there, Khoo broke in and ransacked his bedroom, stealing the tortoise that was valued at about S$2.50.

Before leaving, Khoo called a locksmith to repair the broken front door.

When Mr Huang returned home, he noticed that the wooden latch on his door was broken and his pet tortoise was missing.

On checking his phone, he saw that Khoo had posted a picture of himself and the tortoise on social media, claiming that he had gotten a new pet.

Mr Huang then called the police at about 11.54pm. He eventually got his tortoise back.

Offenders convicted of criminal trespass with intent to annoy can be jailed up to three months or fined up to S$1,500, or be penalised with both.