Contractor who sabotaged rivals' advertisements gets jail for cutting posters at new BTO estates
The case signals intense competition among renovation contractors for newly completed BTO residents, potentially prompting tighter advertising controls and greater scrutiny of vendors operating in these estates.
A 75-year-old contractor received 10 days’ jail after sabotaging rival advertisements and damaging common property at new BTO estates in Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh.
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SINGAPORE: To sabotage his rivals' advertisements put up at new Build-to-Order (BTO) housing estates, a contractor spray-painted over a notice board and cut portions of his own posters fixed to acrylic boards to make them harder to remove. The rivalry resulted in residents at two blocks in Toa Payoh lodging 13 police reports about posters stuck on their units' doors covered in cuts and scratches that also extended to the doors. Lee Sai Koon, a 75-year-old Singaporean who engaged in the sabotage, was sentenced to 10 days' jail on Tuesday (Sep 22). He pleaded guilty to three counts of mischief, with another two charges taken into consideration. The court heard that Lee was the sole proprietor of a company called Tong Sheng Impex, which designed, manufactured and installed metal storage racks. Lee was part of a group of competing contractors who sabotaged each other's advertisements in new BTO estates as part of their rivalry, court documents stated. The sabotage was aimed at rendering their competitors' advertisements ineffective, such as by cutting or covering up posters. THE SPRAY PAINT On the morning of Jun 29, 2025, Lee went to Block 246A, Ang Mo Kio Street 21 to put up posters advertising his metal racks. He saw a competing company had already put up six posters on a notice board at the lift lobby of the ground floor. Lee tried to open the notice board cabinet to remove the posters but it was locked. He then retrieved a can of black spray paint from his vehicle and sprayed it on the surface over the posters.
His actions were captured on closed-circuit television footage (CCTV), but his identity could not be ascertained. A resident later made a police report. The police called Lee to tell him the matter was being investigated although he was not confirmed as a suspect. Lee returned to the block and tried to clean the paint off but could not remove all of it. Despite this investigation, Lee continued to sabotage his rivals.
He headed to Block 403A, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh with his wife on Aug 27, 2025. They entered the lifts and began pasting posters for his company on the walls. At the time, the lifts were lined with acrylic boards to protect the lifts while residents shifted in. Lee and his wife removed the posters of their competitors before putting up their own in five lifts. After affixing their posters, Lee used a penknife to cut them. This was to make it difficult for his competitors to remove his posters, as they would come off in bits and pieces. His actions also left cuts on the acrylic boards. The couple's actions were caught on CCTV. Lee also put up posters and cut them on the walls of lift lobbies and riser doors in that area. Between August and September 2025, residents of Blocks 403A and 403B in Lorong 1 Toa Payoh lodged 13 police reports about the posters and cuts. Lee was arrested on Jan 26, 2026. His wife was given a conditional warning for her involvement. Deputy Public Prosecutor Mark Chia sought a short jail term and read out a long list of Lee's past convictions numbering more than 10. The convictions dated from the 1970s to the 2000s and included driving with an expired licence, using abusive language, cheating and voluntarily causing hurt. Lee's lawyer, Mr Low Cheong Yeow, asked the court to consider five days' jail, saying his client was in bad health. The penalty for mischief is a maximum of two years' jail, a fine, or both. Lee had been charged along with two other men, Joo Tat Chong and Kevin Lee Wei Qiang. Their cases are pending.