Michael P. Fay is an American convicted vandal who was controversially sentence to corporal punishment in Singapore, which threatened U.S. international relations.
History[]
Fay, the child of divorced parents, lived with his mother and stepfather in Singapore and was enrolled in the Singaporean American School. In September 1933, a series of car vandalisms by students, including spray painting, egging, and smashing windshields, as well as thefts of road signs and even a telephone booth ran wild across Singapore. Two students gave the names of various other students once the two were arrested. Fay was on such named student, and he would later report the police threatened and intimidated him and he was warned about caning to push him to take a plea. Fay has maintained he only stole road signs.
Fay pleaded guilty to two counts vandalism for spray painting cars, two counts criminal mischief, and one count possession of stolen property. Under the Vandalism Act of 1966, on March 3, 1994, Fay was put in jail for four months, fined S$3,500, and ordered to endure four strokes of a cane. Fay was caned eventually on May 5. Fay recounted his caning as without him being told the date, involving stripping and restraining him, and with an ensemble of staff assembled, one officer verbally consoling him as the punishment was carried out. After essentially being hit with the cane in his buttocks like a battering ram, Fay suffered superficial injuries and bleeding, but he wasn't injured badly enough it prevented him from walking. He shook hands with the flogger, and when he was released from jail, the guards.
Fay returned to the U.S. in June and moved back in with his father, where he got extensive media coverage and gave numerous interviews. American media outlets extensively blamed the justice system of Singapore, yet ironically enough, certain outlets reported the U.S. was evenly divided on the validity of caning, yet would've preferred more it instead by American law. Even the Clinton administration sent pleas to prevent the caning, with two dozen senators emphasizing the demand in an open letter. Singapore's government reacted by criticizing the United States' crime rates. However, to maintain healthy global relations, then-President Ong Teng Cheong reduced the caning sentence for Fay and another student, Fay originally being sentenced to six strokes.
After burning his hands and face, Fay was sent to rehab at the Hazelden Foundation for addictions to butane, which Fay reported was a consequence of the caning. He would end up with arrest and probation violation records, including drunk driving and fleeing an accident and possession of drugs and paraphernelia. Fay would continuously be spoken about in criticism of Singapore's law enforcement, all the way into 2010, when Swiss citizen Oliver Fricker was similarly penalized for similar crimes.
On Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders[]
- Season Two
- "Cinderella and the Dragon" - Fay's case was mentioned as an example of the agents' criticism of Singaporean law enforcement.
Sources[]
- Wikipedia article on the case
- National Library Board of Singapore article on the case
- ADST article on the case
- Daytona Daily News article on the case
- Mercury News article on the case
- Time Magazine article featuring the case
- All That's Interesting article on Fay
- Must Share News article on Fay
- SG5act article on the case
- IPEZone blog post on Fay