SINGAPORE – A man who started a fire in an HDB flat in Joo Seng Road that resulted in 10 people needing medical attention must undergo a mandatory treatment order (MTO) for two years.
On July 6, Liu Zheyuan, 44, was issued the MTO.
He had earlier been found to be suffering from delusional disorder at the time of the offence.
Those given an MTO must undergo treatment to address their conditions in lieu of time behind bars.
He had pleaded guilty in June to one count of committing mischief by fire.
In earlier proceedings, the court heard that Liu believed his neighbours were shooting laser beams and sending strong currents through the ceiling to harass him.
To ward off the “attack”, he lit up some charcoal in the living room of an 18th-floor unit at Block 14 Joo Seng Road, near Upper Aljunied Road, at about 9.40pm on May 4.
He placed the pot on a metal rack near an open window and added more charcoal.
A nearby plastic curtain caught fire, which spread throughout the whole unit and damaged parts of the HDB block.
Liu, who tried but failed to extinguish the flames, told his neighbours to evacuate and alerted the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
Several people, including his elderly parents, suffered from smoke inhalation.
According to court documents, the fire caused between $80,000 and $100,000 in damages.
Ten people, including two firefighters, were taken to the Singapore General Hospital.
Liu was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health after his arrest.
