Man jailed 15 months for assaulting teen
In a paranoid state, a man with amphetamine use disorder accused a boy of hacking into his phone, before tying him and assaulting him.
The 14-year-old boy, himself high on drugs at that time, complied with Muhamad Zaidi Saleh's instructions to follow him home as he thought Zaidi was a policeman.
Zaidi, 42, was jailed for 15 months yesterday.
He pleaded guilty to assaulting the teenager when he tried to obtain a confession from him.
Another count of wrongfully confining the boy in Zaidi's Tampines flat for almost two hours on Nov 18 last year was considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Zaidi had tested "presumptively positive" for amphetamine.
But court documents did not state if he had consumed drugs shortly before committing the crimes. Court documents also did not state if the authorities have dealt with the boy for drug abuse.
Zaidi, who is out on bail of $15,000, will begin his sentence on Sept 22.
He could have been jailed for up to seven years, and fined or caned.- THE STRAITS TIMES
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