4 men accused of flying drones in protected areas
Four men were hauled to a district court on July 11 for allegedly operating drones within protected places, with three of them accused of doing so in the Marina Bay area.
The fourth man is accused of operating a drone, also known as an unmanned aircraft (UA), near the State Court building in Havelock Square.
The four were each handed between one and five charges relating to the operation of UAs and under the Air Navigation Act.
Teo Kian Heng, 56, is alleged to have operated a UA in the Marina Bay area on Feb 9 at around 9pm to snap photographs. The Singaporean is also accused of operating it at an altitude of nearly 500m above sea level, more than eight times the prescribed limit of 60m.
Ye Ting Song, 45, a Briton and a Singapore permanent resident, is accused of flying a drone at a height of nearly 470m above sea level around the Marina Barrage area on Feb 27 shortly before 7.20pm. He allegedly did so to snap pictures of the area.
Chinese national Zhong ZhenSheng, 68, allegedly operated a drone at an altitude of nearly 150m above sea level to capture photographs around the same area on June 25 at around 5.30pm.
Song Yong Sheng, 51, a Singaporean, is said to have operated a UA near the State Court building on June 23 at around 9.15pm. Court documents did not state his reasons.
Zhong is expected to plead guilty on July 25, while Teo and Song have indicated that they will do likewise on Aug 21. Ye’s case will be mentioned again in court on Aug 1.
For operating a drone within a protected place, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $50,000. A repeat offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.
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