Originally Posted by Sydney Morning Herald, 20 december 2006, internet post

A Singapore teenager has pleaded guilty to illegally tapping into a neighbour's wireless Internet network, a court official said Wednesday, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a fine of up to 10,000 Singapore US dollars (US$6,425; euro5,000).

However, the judge seemed to be considering a more lenient punishment for Garyl Tan Jia Luo, 17.

At Tuesday's hearing, District Judge Bala Reddy asked Tan if he would be willing to enlist early in the mandatory national service "as a way to stay out of mischief," the Straits Times newspaper reported. It said Tan agreed.

A Subordinate Courts spokeswoman could not confirm that conversation, but said the judge had concluded the hearing by asking for a pre-sentencing report to determine whether Tan would be eligible for probation _ which would spare him a criminal record. The next hearing was set for Jan. 16, she said on condition of anonymity in accordance with court policy.

The newspaper reported that Tan's lawyer asked the judge to sentence him to the minimum fine but Reddy refused, saying that would give the teen a criminal record.

Court papers showed that a neighbour made a formal complaint in May against Tan for accessing his wireless network without permission.

Many notebook computers and personal digital assistants can detect unsecured networks and easily gain Internet access.

Tan is the first person to be charged with this offense under the Computer Misuse Act.