Dave Teo
Encyclopedia
Corporal
Dave Teo Ming was a Full Time National Serviceman
(NSF) from the 1st Singapore Infantry Regiment
who gained national headlines when, on 2 September 2007, he went absent without official leave (AWOL) with his SAR-21 assault rifle from Mandai Hill Camp in Singapore
.
He was arrested by the police in possession of the assault rifle and a knife twenty hours later in the Orchard Road
shopping district. Facing charges in the High Court, Teo was sentenced to 9 years and 2 months' imprisonment
and 18 strokes of the cane
for various weapon charges. The incident has also led to the Singapore Armed Forces
(SAF) reviewing and tightening security procedures in its army camps.
and five live rounds that were issued to him for guard duty. The Military Police Command was called in at 3.30am to conduct a search within the camp premises, but after finding that he was no longer in camp the Singapore Police Force
was contacted at 5.45am to initiate an island wide manhunt
with 200 officers.
Twenty hours after Teo went absent without official leave (AWOL), he was captured by the Police Special Tactics and Rescue
in the third floor toilet of Orchard Cineleisure in Orchard Road
, a popular shopping district for youth. The arrest occurred so quickly that security guards were not aware of it. Recovered from him were eight 5.56mm rounds (the extra three live rounds were found to be taken from a live-firing exercise in August), and the SAR-21 rifle. A 40 cm knife was found later that was believed to belong to Teo.
It was believed that Teo and an accomplice, Ong Boon Jun, spent their night in a hotel in Geylang
. Ong was also later arrested and faces similar charges. Shortly after both arrests, the room was raided by the police for evidence.
The Ministry of Defense released a press release shortly after his capture acknowledging the incident, and revealed that he was due to complete his National Service stint in October 2007, barely less than a month. This was the first time in more than 20 years where a serviceman went AWOL with a live rifle, the last one being on 6 August 1984 on which Teo Yong Kuan from the 30th Singapore Combat Engineering Battalion in Khatib Camp, was involved in stealing an AR-15
and 30 live rounds. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on 12 May 1986.
published on its cover page an interview with Liew on her relationship with Teo. In the interview, she claimed that they broke off because Teo was possessive, and that subsequently death threat
s were made by him against her and her family.
An investigation into the incident revealed lapses in camp security that concerned the Parliament
. Teo was believed to have climbed out of a second floor window and escaped from the sight of sentries and CCTV, exploiting a weakness in the guardroom's design. The physical security of all camps have since undergone review and reinforcement, with the Mandai Hill Camp in particular now filled with metal grilles and fish-eye mirrors.
Teo and Ong faced multiple charges under the Arms Offences Act. Two more charges were added from the original which involved the 40 cm knife and the eight 5.56mm rounds. Teo pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial took place before the High Court for months. Ong was sentenced in February 2008 to 6.5 years' imprisonment and six strokes of the cane after he was found guilty for failing to report Teo's possession of the rifle to police, while Teo was subsequently sentenced in July 2008 to 9 years' imprisonment and 18 strokes of the cane.
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Dave Teo Ming was a Full Time National Serviceman
National Service in Singapore
Conscription in Singapore, called National Service , requires all male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents who have reached the age of 18 to enrol in the military...
(NSF) from the 1st Singapore Infantry Regiment
Singapore Infantry Regiment
The Singapore Infantry Regiment is the main formation of the Singapore Army. It consists of eight full-time battalions and a number of National Service , or Reservist battalions.-History:...
who gained national headlines when, on 2 September 2007, he went absent without official leave (AWOL) with his SAR-21 assault rifle from Mandai Hill Camp in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
He was arrested by the police in possession of the assault rifle and a knife twenty hours later in the Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
shopping district. Facing charges in the High Court, Teo was sentenced to 9 years and 2 months' imprisonment
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is a legal term.The book Termes de la Ley contains the following definition:This passage was approved by Atkin and Duke LJJ in Meering v Grahame White Aviation Co....
and 18 strokes of the cane
Caning in Singapore
Caning is a widely used form of legal corporal punishment in Singapore. It can be divided into several contexts: judicial, military, school, reformatory/prison, and domestic/private....
for various weapon charges. The incident has also led to the Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
(SAF) reviewing and tightening security procedures in its army camps.
Absence without official leave
On 2 September 2007 at 11.59pm, Teo was discovered to be missing from Mandai Hill Camp with his SAR-21 assault rifleAssault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
and five live rounds that were issued to him for guard duty. The Military Police Command was called in at 3.30am to conduct a search within the camp premises, but after finding that he was no longer in camp the Singapore Police Force
Singapore Police Force
The Singapore Police Force is the main agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the city-state. Formerly known as the Republic of Singapore Police , it has grown from an 11-man organisation to a 38,587 strong force...
was contacted at 5.45am to initiate an island wide manhunt
Manhunt (law enforcement)
In law enforcement, a manhunt is a search for a dangerous fugitive involving the use of all available police units and technology and sometimes help from the public....
with 200 officers.
Twenty hours after Teo went absent without official leave (AWOL), he was captured by the Police Special Tactics and Rescue
Special Tactics and Rescue (Singapore)
The Special Tactics and Rescue is the elite Special Operations SWAT of the Singapore Police Force. Its official task is to provide the Singapore Police Force with a tactical armed-response capability, and its motto is "Vigilance, Valour, Victory"....
in the third floor toilet of Orchard Cineleisure in Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
, a popular shopping district for youth. The arrest occurred so quickly that security guards were not aware of it. Recovered from him were eight 5.56mm rounds (the extra three live rounds were found to be taken from a live-firing exercise in August), and the SAR-21 rifle. A 40 cm knife was found later that was believed to belong to Teo.
It was believed that Teo and an accomplice, Ong Boon Jun, spent their night in a hotel in Geylang
Geylang
Geylang is a neighbourhood in the city-state of Singapore east of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district. It is located to the east of the Singapore River, an area that locals have associated, from the days of Sir Stamford Raffles, as a Malay kampong opposite facing two islands...
. Ong was also later arrested and faces similar charges. Shortly after both arrests, the room was raided by the police for evidence.
The Ministry of Defense released a press release shortly after his capture acknowledging the incident, and revealed that he was due to complete his National Service stint in October 2007, barely less than a month. This was the first time in more than 20 years where a serviceman went AWOL with a live rifle, the last one being on 6 August 1984 on which Teo Yong Kuan from the 30th Singapore Combat Engineering Battalion in Khatib Camp, was involved in stealing an AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
and 30 live rounds. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on 12 May 1986.
Investigation and charge
Initially after his arrest, there were online speculations on the reasons Teo went AWOL. Background checks on blogs suggested that he might have had a failed relationship with his girlfriend Crystal Liew. On 5 September 2007, The Straits TimesThe Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
published on its cover page an interview with Liew on her relationship with Teo. In the interview, she claimed that they broke off because Teo was possessive, and that subsequently death threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s were made by him against her and her family.
An investigation into the incident revealed lapses in camp security that concerned the Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
. Teo was believed to have climbed out of a second floor window and escaped from the sight of sentries and CCTV, exploiting a weakness in the guardroom's design. The physical security of all camps have since undergone review and reinforcement, with the Mandai Hill Camp in particular now filled with metal grilles and fish-eye mirrors.
Teo and Ong faced multiple charges under the Arms Offences Act. Two more charges were added from the original which involved the 40 cm knife and the eight 5.56mm rounds. Teo pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial took place before the High Court for months. Ong was sentenced in February 2008 to 6.5 years' imprisonment and six strokes of the cane after he was found guilty for failing to report Teo's possession of the rifle to police, while Teo was subsequently sentenced in July 2008 to 9 years' imprisonment and 18 strokes of the cane.