Bandwidth bandit faces jail term
December 20, 2006
A Singapore teenager has pleaded guilty to tapping into a
neighbour's wireless internet network and will be sentenced next
month, a newspaper has reported.
Seventeen-year-old Garyl Tan Jia Luo's offence falls under the
Computer Misuse Act and carries a penalty of up to three years in
jail and fines of up to $S10,000.
He is the first person in Singapore to be charged with this
offence.
In mitigation, Tan's lawyer said the teen was "deeply remorseful"
for his actions, the Straits Times reported.
Court papers showed that a neighbour made a formal complaint in May
against Tan, for accessing his wireless network without permission,
the Straits Times said.
Many notebook computers and personal digital assistants can detect
unsecured networks and easily gain internet access.
Tan's lawyer's request for a minimum fine was turned down by
District Judge Bala Reddy, who instead asked Tan if he would be
willing to enlist early for the mandatory national service "as a
way to stay out of mischief," the newspaper reported.
Tan agreed, and the judge ordered a pre-sentencing report next
month.
