- Brick, 26, is an Indonesian man who is ready to be caned 9 instances for making an attempt to illegally enter Singapore.
- This was his fifth time making an attempt to sneak into the nation, native media reported, citing authorities.
- Caning is a judicial punishment in Singapore that may be given to male offenders who’re beneath 50.
A 26-year-old Indonesian man was sentenced to 18 months in jail and 9 strokes of the cane in Singapore for illegally coming into the island nation by swimming, native media reported.
Singaporean outlet Channel Information Asia recognized the person by just one title — Brick — and reported that he approached Singapore on a small boat referred to as a sampan in June 2023.
The boat set off from Batam, an Indonesian island about eight miles south of Singapore, and Brick later jumped into the water and swam to shore, CNA reported, citing particulars given throughout his sentencing.
This was Brick’s fifth unlawful entry into Singapore since 2017, together with his earlier offenses touchdown him a complete of 25 strokes of the cane and 50 months in jail, per CNA. Given his newest sentence, the full rises to 34 cane strokes and 68 months in jail.
Native immigration authorities arrested Brick in March and mentioned in court docket that he did not have journey paperwork to point out that he entered the nation legally, per CNA. Meaning he spent about 9 months dwelling illegally in Singapore.
In court docket, Brick requested in Indonesian for leniency as a result of he was “working for my household and my mom presently is ailing,” in keeping with the outlet.
However a presiding choose mentioned Brick’s repeated offenses required a more durable sentence, CNA reported.
The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore, which prosecuted Brick’s case, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark despatched by Enterprise Insider. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore additionally didn’t instantly reply to the same request.
Judicial caning is a type of corporal punishment in Singapore that may be given to legal offenders who’re male and beneath the age of fifty. The penalty is usually paired with a jail sentence and carried out by skilled workers with a particular rattan cane about 4 toes lengthy.
Workers are skilled to strike the naked buttocks of the offender, and the lashes are mentioned to be extraordinarily painful and typically go away scars. An offender can obtain a most of 24 strokes per trial.
The follow of caning in Singapore has been controversial, drawing worldwide consideration in 1994 when 19-year-old US citizen Michael Fay was given six strokes of the cane for vandalism. Fay later mentioned native police coerced him right into a confession that he spray-painted automobiles, a declare that the Singapore authorities has denied.
Defenders of caning say it acts each as a deterrent and a way to make offenders assume twice earlier than repeating their crimes. In 2022, Singapore’s then-President Halimah Yaacob mentioned caning laws needs to be reviewed as a result of rapists in extreme circumstances have been being spared the rod by being older than 50.
Singapore additionally upholds a strict dying penalty for these discovered trafficking managed substances akin to marijuana or meth.
