SINGAPORE — The ringleader of a group of youth who created a ruckus at Singapore Boys’ Home in September this year wanted the other boys involved to join him in reformative training at Changi Prison, a court heard.

On Friday (Dec 27), one of those other boys, who is now aged 16, was sentenced to at least 12 months of reformative training in the State Courts after admitting to acts of vandalism.

Although he was not part of the original plan to start the ruckus, the teenager witnessed the unruly behaviour by the other residents of the home and decided to join in by damaging a television in his dormitory with his slippers.

A total of seven people were involved in the incident on Sept 10 this year, resulting in more than S$3,600 worth of damage to property. A total of 97 police attended to the incident.

None of the boys can be named due to their age, and they were referred to in court documents as B1 to B7.

The youth sentenced on Friday was known as B7. TODAY understands that four of the other boys have also been sentenced to undergo reformative training. The other two cases are understood to be pending.

THE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY THEY CAUSED

Court documents stated that B1 masterminded the incident. On Sept 3 this year, he had pleaded guilty to vandalism charges for a separate incident that happened at the Singapore Boys' Home in September last year.

As punishment, he was remanded from Sept 3 to 10 at Changi Prison to assess his suitability for reformative training, which is a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under the age of 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.

On Sept 10, he was released and returned to his dormitory at the home at around 3pm.

B1 then approached B2, B3 and B4, and asked if they wanted to serve a term of reformative training with him. They agreed, though no rationale for the decision was stated.

As part of the plan, B1 told them that they would have to commit an act known as “armour banging” — a term used to describe the banging of items in dormitories and causing damage.

The boys executed their plan at around 10pm after their scheduled television time, but not before they roped in a fifth person, B5.

They then proceeded to flip mattresses and jump on bed frames. They also broke a metal toilet sink and threw it at a wall-mounted television and a dormitory gate.

A makeshift rope was used to pull a television set to the ground as well.

Court documents stated that the boys then started shouting at the top of their voices and waited for the police to arrest them.

During this period, both B7 and B6 were watching what was happening from a separate dormitory and decided to join in.

They also started jumping on their beds and shouting vulgarities before they cracked a television screen by throwing their slippers at it repeatedly.

Both B7 and B6 were arrested by the police.

The unruly behaviour did not end that night.

After the group was arrested, B7 was housed in a segregation room with B2 on Sept 12.

B2 then asked if B7 wanted to be part of B1’s plan to join him in Changi Prison for reformative training. B7 agreed.

Both B2 and B7 then proceeded to create a makeshift rope with their towels and clothes, which they were hoping to use to pull a ceiling fan to the ground — they were unsuccessful.

Undeterred, B7 broke a toilet pipe by kicking it, which flooded the floor. The broken pipe head was then used by both boys to break the ceiling lights.

As their makeshift rope was now wet, they decided to start swinging it at the fan and succeeded in breaking its cover.

A staff member from the home was unable to stop them and he had to call the police for assistance.