Man who rode motorcycle while naked sentenced to 2-year treatment

SINGAPORE — A man who was spotted riding a motorcycle naked last year was given a two-year mandatory treatment order on Thursday (5 May).

Yeo Qi Wei, 25, will undergo psychiatric treatment at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) under the court order instead of serving jail time. The community-based sentencing option is usually given to accused persons with psychiatric disorders.

Yeo, who was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder, was assessed by IMH, which reported that there was a “significant contributory link” between his condition and his offences.

On 11 March, Yeo pleaded guilty to one count of trespass and two counts under the Miscellaneous Offences Act for appearing naked in public.

Another five charges, including trying to stop passing cars along Penang Road while unmasked, failing to wear a helmet while riding his motorcycle, and failing to wear a mask at a carpark in Toa Payoh where he appeared naked, were considered during sentencing.

These offences, committed from 9 to 10 June last year, came to light after the police received at least eight reports of Yeo being seen naked in public around Singapore. Photos and videos of him in the nude taken by bystanders also went viral online.

On 9 June, a fully-clothed Yeo was spotted at Singapore Shopping Centre by a security guard at the premises. He had claimed that he was going to the fifth floor for a massage, but the guard spotted him on the fourth floor via closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

The guard later followed him and heard a loud sound. He saw that the door to a co-working space was damaged and found Yeo inside the area, which belonged to Workcentral.

According to court documents, Yeo had been captured on CCTV forcing open the door, connecting his laptop to a TV then watching it. He did not make any restitution for the damage he caused, which was more than $1,500.

In one of the offences on 10 June, a private hire driver had in the early hours of the morning saw Yeo, clad only in his underwear, walking around at an open-air carpark at Block 212, Lorong 8 Toa Payoh.

Yeo later walked towards the driver, removed his underwear, and climbed onto the car. Later, he clambered off the car, leaving his underwear on it, and rode off on a motorcycle naked.

For appearing nude in a public place, Yeo could have faced a maximum jail sentence of three months and a fine of up to $2,000.

A person who is convicted of criminal trespass faces a maximum jail sentence of three months and a fine of up to $1,500.

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