A STUDENT who was to be tried with his mother for burning a relative's car at a multi-storey carpark pleaded guilty to causing mischief by fire in the Community Court on Tuesday.

Louis Hong Hsieh Shuen, 16, however, can concentrate on his year-end O-level examinations for now as the court had postponed his sentencing to Nov 14.

He admitted to burning Mr Ernest Tan's $40,500 Nissan Sunny with his classmate, Ho Ki Yeow, 17, at the carpark at Block 7B Commonwealth Avenue on Oct 24 last year. Ho has been placed on probation.

The duo ignited a piece of face towel before throwing it onto some petrol-soaked charcoal on the car's bonnet. Hong had a long-standing dispute with his aunt, the wife of Mr Ernest Tan, over an inheritance left to him by his late father.

While cycling near Commonwealth Avenue earlier last year, he spotted the couple's car coming out of the multi-storey carpark. He later decided to take revenge on the victim's wife by burning the car.

He told his mother to get some charcoal for him. On Oct 23, his mother, Teo Sew Eng, 52, placed a red plastic bag of charcoal, a bottle of petrol and a piece of towel below a fire hose reel at deck 5A of the carpark.

Later, Hong and Ho retrieved the bag and set fire to Mr Tan's car. The fire spread to a van parked beside it but it was put out by civil defence officers.

Hong's lawyer, Mr Subhas Anandan, said his client had compensated $12,150 to Mr Tan for the damage as well as $7,500 to the other vehicle owner. Hong, he added, promised he would do his best to compensate his mother for giving her so much problem.

Teo's trial is pending.