Two men jailed over Molotov cocktail attack on nightspot
Five men hatched a plan to take revenge on bouncers of a nightclub after a dispute by setting the establishment on fire with Molotov cocktails the next day.
But when they realised their hiding spot was too far from their target - Club Hollywood at St James Power Station - they hurled the homemade explosives at the nearby Postbar, sending bouncers and patrons scurrying to safety.
Yesterday, two of the five were sentenced to jail.
They had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge each of committing mischief by fire.
Toh Wei Yi, 29, was sentenced to 20 months' jail, while Daryl Tay, 28, was sentenced to five years and 6 months' jail for his act of mischief and drug-related offences.
The court had heard that Toh and Tay were part of a group led by their friend, Bryan Ho, 28.
Ho had been thrown out of Club Hollywood by its bouncers on Sept 12, 2016, following a dispute with other patrons.
He hatched the revenge plan, and roped in his younger brother and three friends to carry it out. Tay and Toh went to buy bottles, socks and petrol to make the explosives.
Shortly after 2am on Sept 13, Tay parked a car across the road from St James where he and Toh remained, while Ho, his brother Cephas, 25, and friend Eugene Lim, set off with their Molotov cocktails.
However, they realised their target was still a distance from their hiding spot behind some parked cars.
"As such, they decided to throw the Molotovs at the outlet closest to the car park, knowing it be likely that they will thereby cause damage to property," court documents said.
Two bouncers stationed nearby managed to move away in time, and one of them also pushed a patron away to safety. Smoke and heat damage to floor tiles, a lamppost and a table amounted to $1,100.
All five men fled but were arrested after police investigations.
The Ho brothers will be sentenced at a later date, while the charges against Lim have been abated after his death on July 11, 2017.
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