Man throws eggs at elderly neighbour's front door because he's 'irritated' by noise coming from unit

The New Paper
April 24, 2023

When he found his front door pelted with eggs and flour on two occasions last year, a resident in Hougang decided to catch the culprit in the act. 

After installing a camera outside his unit, he found out last week that the perpetrator was his neighbour’s son.

The 81-year-old resident, surnamed Liu, told Shin Min Daily News that his neighbour's son, who is in his thirties, first started pelting eggs at his door last August. 

In December, he returned again, this time to throw flour at Liu's door.  

Things returned to normal after that, until the man returned last Thursday (April 20), first at 4am, and then again at 8am, to throw eggs at his door. On Saturday, he also poured curry on Liu's window. 

According to Liu, the younger man had been irritated by the noise coming from his unit.

Liu said he has since handed the CCTV footage over to the police, and has also informed the man's parents. 

"We have been neighbours with his parents for 30 years, and we've always gotten along well. When I told his parents, they hoped that I'd go to the police and let them handle it," Liu said. 

Regarding the noise coming from his flat, Liu said it was because his family members used to cook at home. He also had a young granddaughter who would run around the house. 

"Now my granddaughter has grown up, and we hardly cook at home. The man claims that he heard chopping noises – we haven't done anything like that, but he's convinced that the noise is caused by us." 

The police have confirmed that a report has been lodged and said investigations are ongoing. 

Shin Min also spoke to Liu's neighbour, Wu, who explained that his son mixed in with bad company since young. He also hasn't had a stable job for over a decade, and was incarcerated in 2015 for drug-related charges. He was released in 2018. 

"We thought he would turn over a new leaf after he was released, but his behaviour got worse. He often breaks things at home, and asks his family members for money," said the 76-year-old.

Wu also has a daughter who is married, but he said she doesn't dare return home because of her brother.

Wu added that he tried disciplining his son before, but ended up suffering a wrist injury. His son had also beaten him on another occasion, and Wu had to get stitches for his wounds. 

He said he intends to legally disown his son next month.