Singapore teen convicted of tapping wireless

SINGAPORE - A Singapore teenager has pleaded guilty to tapping into a neighbor’s wireless Internet network and will be sentenced next month, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

In mitigation Tuesday, the lawyer for 17-year-old Garyl Tan Jia Luo said his client was “deeply remorseful” for his actions, the Straits Times reported.

Court officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

The neighbor complained in May that Tan accessed his wireless network without permission, the Straits Times said.

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

Tan’s offense carries a penalty of up to three years in jail and a maximum fine of more than $6,000. He is the first person in Singapore to be charged with the offense.

District Judge Bala Reddy asked Tan if he would be willing to enlist early for the mandatory national service “as a way to stay out of mischief,” the newspaper reported. Tan agreed, and the judge ordered a pre-sentencing report next month.

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