A 72-year-old man has been jailed for one year and 11 months after harassing his younger brother and committing arson following an inheritance dispute.
Hoe San Peng faced eight charges including possession of a dangerous weapon, intentional harm with a dangerous weapon, and mischief by fire. He admitted to three charges on Tuesday (11 Mar 2025), with five others taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that in 2021, Hoe’s father sold his house and moved in with Hoe’s 68-year-old brother. After the father died in 2023, Hoe learned that all proceeds from the house sale had been given to his brother.
In April 2023, Hoe confronted his brother about the inheritance. When his attempt to get money failed, he smashed a wooden chair outside the unit and broke the blinds. His brother did not report this incident to police.
Two months later, Hoe returned and damaged the blinds with an iron rod. His brother filed a police report, but the harassment continued.
On 13 November 2023, Hoe approached his brother with an iron rod wrapped in newspaper. When he saw his brother returning home around 6:00 PM, Hoe attacked him, causing injuries to the left side of his face. Despite neighbors’ attempts to intervene, Hoe pushed his brother to the ground and continued punching him. The brother eventually escaped and sought help from his son.
On 28 January 2025, Hoe brought three bottles of gasoline and diesel, joss paper, and an iron crowbar to his brother’s home. Finding the main door open, he threw one bottle of flammable liquid into the unit.
When his brother and nephew closed the main door after discovering Hoe outside, Hoe poured another bottle of flammable liquid outside the unit, placed joss paper on it, and set it on fire. The flames spread to the living room.
Hoe then struck the unit’s window with the crowbar, threatened to continue harassing his brother, and left. After the brother and his son extinguished the fire, they called the police. Authorities arrested Hoe that evening and seized an approximately 70-centimeter-long iron crowbar.
