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Teacher jailed for throwing killer litter from 50th floor in CBD after tiff with boyfriend

Shenton Way at dusk. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Shenton Way at dusk. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — After an argument with her boyfriend, a woman threw a speaker, a soundbar and a television set from her 50th-floor unit along Shenton Way.

Lluen Saenz Maria Isabel, a 49-year-old Peruvian, was jailed for seven weeks on Tuesday (19 October), after she pleaded guilty to one count of committing a rash act which endangered the safety of others.

In mitigation, her lawyer told the court that her then-boyfriend, now husband, had cheated on her during his trips to Batam. The couple had been living together for about two years in a 50th-floor apartment at V on Shenton, a 54-storey residential tower along Shenton Way

Saenz, a teacher at the Canadian International School, was about to end their relationship last year when the man assaulted her. She retaliated by flinging several objects over the apartment's balcony railing.

Argument after dinner at Vivocity

On 21 February last year, Saenz's boyfriend admitted that he had cheated on her. He attempted to patch up with her and agreed to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

Six days later, the couple watched a movie at Vivocity and had dinner at a restaurant, where they shared two bottles of wine. During the dinner, Saenz asked her boyfriend about the lady with whom he had cheated on her with. The man provided her with the information she sought and the pair later took a taxi back to their apartment.

At their apartment, Saenz accused the man of lying. She demanded that he leave the house and told him she would move his things out. They got into a minor scuffle and Saenz then moved the man's television onto the balcony.

He told her that it was going to rain, but Saenz said she did not care, and threw the television over the balcony railing. The television landed at the carpark of the former Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House along Union Street.

The woman then broke a soundbar against the railing on the balcony and flung it off. The soundbar landed on the road. Saenz also threw down the man's speaker, which also shattered on the road.

Her boyfriend later packed his belongings and left the apartment, which was in a mess.

At around 1am, security staff from the neighbouring building which housed the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, came to the main lobby of V on Shenton and complained that there was a broken television next to their van at the carpark.

A security supervisor from V on Shenton called the police at about 1.34am on 28 February. The security supervisor saw the boyfriend leaving and told him that the police were coming.

On 16 June 2021, Saenz restituted $1,000 to her boyfriend for the objects she threw off the balcony.

Litter posed high degree of danger to human life

Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Ong sought eight weeks’ jail for Saenz, stating that the items thrown were not small and posed a high degree of danger to human life. Saenz had also thrown the killer litter at 1am on a Friday morning, which posed a danger to pedestrians and cars.

Saenz’s lawyer Anil Singh, said that his client had been an educator for 24 years. She arrived in Singapore in 2010 and began teaching at United World College on a part time basis before becoming fully employed by Canadian International School. She had tendered her resignation earlier this year due to her court case.

Singh added that Saenz's husband’s conduct had much to be desired during their relationship. The last straw for her had been his infidelity during his Batam trip.

The pair tried to talk things over during and after their Vivocity visit, but Saenz wanted to call off the relationship, and told him to leave. The husband lost his temper when Saenz sought to collect his belongings for him and punched her, prompting her to throw his things over the balcony railing.

Singh added that Saenz had paid a heavy price, as it is unlikely that she could teach again due to her criminal history. However the relationship between the couple has improved since they married, and the man is now a devoted husband, according to his wife.

As Saenz realised she will be repatriated, she and her husband will be leaving Singapore.

Singh asked for a high fine, or a jail term of three to four weeks.

For committing a rash act which endangers the safety of others, Saenz could have been jailed up to six months, or fined up to $2,500, or both.

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