- Illustrative photo.
SINGAPORE: A recalcitrant drug addict knew his 14-year-old son was also taking drugs, but instead of helping the boy, he gave him drugs from his own stash when asked.
The 52-year-old, who has been in and out of the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) multiple times over the past three decades, also openly consumed methamphetamine at home in full view of his 15-year-old daughter.
He was caught by officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on May 6 at home after he absconded from a DRC programme on April 22.
On Wednesday (Sept 25), the man pleaded guilty to one charge of allowing his son to consume methamphetamine, one charge of possession and one count of consumption.
He cannot be named due to a gag order imposed by the judge to protect the identity of his son and daughter.
During mitigation, the man, who did not have a lawyer, said he regretted his actions and pleaded for the lowest sentence possible.
He said: “It’s not that I want to give the drugs to my son. I have my own reasons for doing so.”
He added: “My daughter is sitting for her O levels this year. I am pleading for you to impose the minimum sentence.”
He did not elaborate on his statement in court.
Five other related charges will be taken into consideration during his sentencing on Oct 4.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Li Ting said CNB officers had found multiple drug paraphernalia such as straws and glass utensils in the man’s home the time of his arrest.
They also seized a straw filled with a powdery substance later confirmed to be morphine, and two packets of crystallised substances later confirmed by the Health Sciences Authority to be methamphetamine. One packet was found in his son’s bedroom while the other was in the living room.
DPP Lim said the man became aware that his son had been purchasing and smoking methamphetamine sometime in 2023. His son was already aware of his father’s drug habit by then.
The court heard the man had consumed drugs on multiple occasions since running away from a rehabilitation and treatment programme in the DRC in April.
DPP Lim said the man admitted to smoking methamphetamine every two to three days at home, and had left his drug utensils in the open despite living with his children.
The man said that during the period before his arrest on May 6, he had given his son a packet of methamphetamine after his son asked for some.
DPP Lim said: “He knew his son had been consuming drugs. Instead of putting a stop to this, he allowed his son to continue. He even provided the methamphetamine, facilitating his son’s drug consumption for free.”
The man has also had several brushes with the law relating to his drug addiction.
He was sent to the DRC in 1993, 1996 and 1998 for a period of six months each, and was most recently sent to DRC in 2022 for a period of 12 months.
He was also placed under drug supervision in 1992, 1995, 1997 and 1999 for a period of two years each time, and sentenced to eight months’ jail in 2021 for possession of a controlled drug.
More youth taking drugs
The most recent survey by the National Council Against Drug Abuse in 2023 revealed that 18 per cent of 3,000 youth aged 13 to 29 said they knew someone who had taken drugs. This was up from 10.6 per cent in 2019.
A study by the IMH the same year found that four in 10 drug abusers in Singapore started abusing drugs before they were 18.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said in July that 16 drug offenders under the age of 16 have been arrested in the first four months of 2024 alone. In comparison, there were 24 similar arrests for the whole of 2023.
CNB said in its 2023 report that the number of youth under the age of 20 arrested rose from 119 in 2022 to 132 in 2023. The youngest abusers arrested in 2023 were six 14-year-olds.
The bulk of the youth arrested in 2023, or about 67 per cent, had been found abusing methamphetamine.
A 2022 survey by the Institute of Mental Health found that the mean age of the start of drug abuse in Singapore was 15.9 years, with many consuming the drugs at home. - The Straits Times/ANN
