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khunking · Mar 25, 2016

Woman, 28, found dead in locked room in Circuit Road flat

The body of a young woman was found in a Circuit Road flat on Tuesday night (March 22), local media reported.

Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported that the landlord made the grisly discovery in the locked room of a male tenant who recently left the country.
He had returned to the flat to check on the vacated room after his tenant told him he was going on a work trip in Malaysia for some time.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the landlord entered the room using a spare key and thought his tenant was sleeping when he first saw someone covered with a blanket in bed.
After he returned to the room later that night, he realised that the body was motionless and made a police report.
The deceased woman, a 28-year-old Chinese national, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. She did not have any visible injuries, Wanbao reported.
According to Wanbao, other tenants identified the deceased as the male tenant's girlfriend who would visit and stay over at the flat occasionally.
The man is currently uncontactable.
The police has classified the case as an unnatural death. Investigations are on-going.

GeneralHavoc · Mar 29, 2016

2 arrested for trying to swim to Singapore

Saturday, Mar 26, 2016

SINGAPORE - Two men were arrested early this morning (March 26) for trying to swim to Singapore.

Their attempt was intercepted by the Police Coast Guard who detected two floating objects in the sea off Poyan Reservoir, located between Lim Chu Kang and the Johor Strait, at about 3.30am.

The suspects, aged 28 and 30, were arrested for the offence of unlawful entry into Singapore under the Immigration Act (Chapter 133).

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GeneralHavoc · Mar 31, 2016

Man who printed fake barcode stickers to cheat supermarkets sentenced to 6 months' jail

Zhang Bobo was sentenced to six months' jail after admitting to four charges of cheating involving $2,354.ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Published 11 hours ago
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

SINGAPORE - A provision store owner printed his own barcode stickers and fixed them on various items in supermarkets to obtain them at lower prices, a court heard.

On Wednesday (March 30), Zhang Bobo, a 27-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to six months' jail after admitting to four charges of cheating involving $2,354. Another seven similar charges and two attempted cheating charges were considered in sentencing.

The total amount in all the cheating charges is $4,282 and Zhang has since made full restitution to Cold Storage and Giant.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sanjiv Vaswani said that, some time in August last year, Zhang had some financial problems.

After observing self-checkout counters at various supermarkets, he hatched a plan to make money by reselling baby milk powder obtained from supermarkets.

He would print barcode stickers using his store's label printer. The stickers were for a low price. He would then go to supermarkets and paste his stickers on tins of milk powder and scan the items at the self-checkout counter.

He was at Giant Tampines on Nov 1 last year when he pasted false price tags on six milk powder tins, a cooker and a vacuum cleaner. He scanned and paid for the items as Marigold evaporated milk at $1.25 each.

He thus deceived the supermarket into believing that the goods cost $10 when the actual amount was $630.

He sold the milk powder online to make up for the losses he had suffered in running his provision shop business.

Over the next two days, he cheated the supermarket in the same manner, causing Giant to lose about $1,190.

On Nov 6, he went back to Giant Tampines and cheated the company of $547.

He was caught at Cold Storage supermarket at Eastwood Road on Nov 5 last year when he tried to cheat by paying $6 for three tins of milk powder worth $493.

Appealing for compassion and mercy, defence counsel Han Hean Juan said his client was very remorseful for what he had done.

The shop Zhang was running was financed by his father who was pressuring him to return a debt, he told the court.

Zhang, who is married to a Chinese national and has a young daughter, was allowed to defer sentence until April 27 as he is trying to sell the shop.

He could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined on each charge.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 9, 2016

Man gets jail and cane for break-in and theft at columbarium and monastery

Kam Aik Soon was jailed for 3½ years and ordered to be given two strokes of the cane on Friday (April 8).

Published Apr 8, 2016, 12:56 pm SGT
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

SINGAPORE - A 23-year-old man who broke into a Buddhist columbarium and a monastery to steal from donation boxes was jailed for 31/2 years and ordered to be given four strokes of the cane on Friday (April 8).

Kam Aik Soon, a Singapore permanent resident, admitted to two counts of housebreaking and theft of $2,600 with three other similar charges involving $1,000 taken into consideration.

A district court heard that Kam took a bus from Bugis Junction some time after 10pm on Aug 10 last year, and decided to alight along Sims Avenue as there were several places of worship. He decided to steal money from these places as he was running out of cash.

He alighted near Kembangan MRT station and walked around until he saw an open window at Jalan Senyam Buddhist Columbarium.

He scaled over a stone wall and walked to the open window. He then climbed through the window and made his way into a prayer hall in the columbarium by forcing open a sliding wooden door.

He then used a metal fork from his bag to pry open a large wooden donation box. It was midnight when he stole $600 from the donation box and placed them into his haversack.

He used the money for his daily expenses and to pay for his mobile phone bills.

Through further investigations, his DNA was found from a swab on the donation box.

He was arrested at a pub in Orchard Road on Oct 15 last year.

In the second case, the court heard that Kam was at a gaming shop in Upper Bukit Timah some time before 12.40am on Aug 20 when he climbed over a wall fencing and entered Mahabodhi Monastery at Lorong Kilat.

He forced open two donation boxes and stole a total of $2,000.

His act of filling up a paper bag with cash was captured on a closed-circuit television camera in the monastery. He used the money to pay for his phone bills and a fine issued by the National Environment Agency.

Kam had a similar conviction in 2013 and was liable for enhanced punishment.

His Criminal Legal Aid Scheme assigned lawyer, Mr Justin Yu, said Kam had a troubled past and had tough patches in his life. He was adopted at aboutthe age of six after his father with a gambling addiction gave up on him.

Mr Yu said his client's foster parents kicked him out when he was about 18 and, since then, he had been seeking refuge at his friend's home until he was enlisted for national service.

He said Kam committed the offences as he had only $400 to survive on and had accumulated phone bill debts of about $1,300.

khunking · Apr 9, 2016

47-year-old man charged with murder of woman in Circuit Road flat

A 47-year-old man was charged on Thursday (April 7) with the murder of a 28-year-old woman in a flat at Block 70, Circuit Road, last month.
Boh Soon Ho, a Malaysian, is accused of killing Ms Zhang Huaxiang sometime between 12.54pm on March 21 and 8.40pm the next day.
Boh did not enter a plea to the capital charge, which was read out to him in Mandarin. He looked calm as he stood in the dock and looked around the public gallery at times.
The police prosecutor successfully applied for Boh to be remanded for further investigations.
District Judge Christopher Goh also granted permission for Boh to be taken out for investigations.
He will be brought back to court on April 14.
Boh arrived at the State Courts in an unmarked police car just before 9am.
Ms Zhang Huaxiang, a nurse at the National University Hospital, was reportedly from Hunan, China, and was the suspect's girlfriend. Her parents collected her body on Saturday, after arriving here from China.
Boh was arrested by Malaysian police across the Causeway on Monday, and handed over to Singapore police the next day.
Ms Zhang was reported to have been found lying motionless in the rented bedroom of the third-floor flat by the landlord, who was at the unit to check on it as his tenant said he would be away on a business trip.
During his visit, the landlord had said he saw someone he thought was his tenant apparently asleep on the bed. The landlord then went out for dinner, but came back later to find that the person had not moved.
Pulling back the blanket, he realised it was actually the woman, who sometimes stayed over, and that she was dead.
Neighbours reportedly said they had not heard any commotion, and that the tenant had moved in last year and the woman was his girlfriend.
If found guilty of his charge of murder with intention, Boh faces the mandatory death penalty.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 19, 2016

Ex-staff nurse jailed one year for vicious assault on IMH patient

Aung Phyo Thu, 26, has been sentenced to one years' jail for viciously attacking an IMH patient in February 2015.

Published 6 hours ago
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

SINGAPORE - A Myanmar nurse was sentenced to a year's jail on Monday (April 18) for attacking a patient viciously at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in February last year.

Aung Phyo Thu, 26, admitted to causing grievous hurt to Mr Kong Ah Hoe, 56, a long-term patient who suffers from schizophrenia.

Thu's attack included punching him on the back and head , kicking him on the leg, hitting his head area and punching his chest area, causing two rib fractures, on Feb 17 last year.

Mr Kong who was restrained to the bed at the time, had multiple medical conditions and had difficulties communicating, the court heard. He needs help to move around.

Investigation showed that Thu, who had been on night duty, woke up to a commotion caused by Mr Kong who was trying to get out of his bed at about 5.55 am on Feb 17.

Thu punched Mr Kong on his right back. He then used a blanket to cover Mr Kong's face before throwing several punches at his head area.

Thu then kicked Mr Kong's leg; he then pinned Mr Kong down and hit his head three times. Not satisfied, he then pinned the victim down again and punched his left rib area about 10 times.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ma Hanfeng said all this while, Mr Kong did not fight back and was in no position to resist Thu.

A ward supervisor who found injuries on Mr Kong asked Thu to put up a report to explain the injuries . Thu then falsely stated that the victim's injuries were self-inflicted.

Mr Kong was referred to Alexandra Hospital where he was found to have various injuries and possible fracture on the two left ribs. The fractures were confirmed when a second x-ray was done in July.

DPP Ma sought at least 12 months' jail, citing aggravating factors.

He said Thu had abused the position of trust and responsibility as a staff nurse by relentlessly and viciously assaulting his patient.

He said the victim, who had already been restrained to the bed at the time, would have been defenceless against Thu's assault. There was clearly no need for Thu to cause hurt to the victim. There was also no good reason to excuse him from his senselessly violent acts.

His conduct right after the assault had shown a patent lack of remorse, he said.

District Judge Luke Tan agreed entirely with the prosecution that deterrence must take centre-stage.

He said the aggravating features of this case were stark and clearly called for a sentence that was sufficiently severe to act as a deterrent.

Thu's lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan said Thu's services had been terminated and he was liable for $80,000 in liquidated damages, having attended a nursing science course in Singapore on an IMH scholarship.

The maximum penalty for causing grevious hurt is 10 years' jail and a fine or caning.

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GeneralHavoc · Apr 20, 2016

Indonesian maid jailed for 12 weeks for abusing 14-month-old toddler

Tursinah Sari was jailed for 12 weeks after she pleaded guilty to six charges of ill-treating a child.PHOTO: ST FILE

Published 10 hours ago
Amir Hussain

A 32-year-old Indonesian maid repeatedly abused a 14-month-old toddler in his Punggol flat for more than two months - all because she could not get him to fall asleep, a district court heard yesterday.

On various occasions, she pulled the young child up by one of his arms, held him upside down by his ankles, slapped his face and even pushed his head.

But her acts were caught on a closed-circuit television camera, and footage of the abuse were later viewed by the baby's parents.

Yesterday, the maid Tursinah Sari was jailed for 12 weeks after she pleaded guilty to six out of 15 charges, under the Children and Young Persons Act, for ill-treating a child. The remaining charges were taken into consideration in sentencing.

Tursinah had worked for the infant's parents for about three months before she began to abuse him, from between Christmas Day last year and Feb 4 this year.

On one occasion, on Dec 27 last year, she pulled the baby out of his cot by one of his wrists.

On Jan 10, she held him upside down by his ankles for about eight seconds. Shortly after, she slapped his face and pushed his head.

She also dropped the toddler on a sofa, and then pressed on his ribs with both her hands on Jan 27.

Four days later, she held the infant upside down by his legs before dropping him into his cot. Shortly after, she pulled him out of the cot by grabbing the front of his T-shirt.

And on Feb 4, Tursinah pulled baby from the cot into the air by grabbing one of his hands. Shortly after, she jerked him up and down several times while carrying him.

She later pulled him up from the cot and into the air by grabbing the front of his T-shirt.

The toddler's parents realised the abuses the next day when they viewed the footage of their closed-circuit television camera.

The father made a police report the next day. The baby was taken to hospital, but no external injuries were found on him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dora Tay called for two to four weeks' jail per charge, with four of the sentences to run consecutively. She asked for a total of 12 weeks' jail.

Tursinah submitted two mitigation letters to the court, which stated, among other things, that she was owed five months' salary.

In passing sentence, District Judge Luke Tan said he found it "surprising" that Tursinah was herself a mother.

"You must have understood the anguish of the parents when they discovered the abuse, the judge said. "The child is too young to express distress, protect himself and seek help."

The judge told Tursinah she would have to seek a separate recourse on her salary claim.

She could have been fined $4,000 and jailed for four years per charge.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 20, 2016

Myanmar nurse jailed 1 year for attack on patient

Published Apr 19, 2016, 5:00 am SGT

Former IMH staff member hit victim who was restrained to bed, causing rib fractures

Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

A nurse from Myanmar was sentenced to a year's jail yesterday for attacking a defenceless patient at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in February last year.

Aung Phyo Thu, 26, admitted to causing grievous hurt to Mr Kong Ah Hoe, 56, a long-term patient who has schizophrenia.

Thu was convicted of punching and kicking him multiple times, causing two rib fractures, on Feb 17 last year.

Mr Kong, who was restrained to the bed, had multiple medical conditions and difficulties communicating, the court heard. He even needs help to move around.

Investigations showed that Thu, who had been on night duty, woke up to a commotion caused by Mr Kong trying to get out of bed at about 5.55 am that day.

Thu punched Mr Kong in the back on the right side. He then used a blanket to cover Mr Kong's face before throwing several punches at his head.

Not done, Thu kicked his leg and pinned him down, then proceeded to hit him multiple times, including about 10 times in his left rib area.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ma Hanfeng said Mr Kong did not fight back the whole time and was in no position to resist Thu.

A ward supervisor who found injuries on Mr Kong asked Thu to put up a report to explain the injuries. Thu then falsely stated that the victim had inflicted them on himself.

Mr Kong was referred to Alexandra Hospital, where he was found to have various injuries and possible fractures on two left ribs which were confirmed by X-ray.

DPP Ma sought at least 12 months in jail, citing aggravating factors.

He said Thu had abused the position of trust and responsibility as a staff nurse by relentlessly and viciously assaulting his patient.

He said the victim, who was restrained to the bed, would have been defenceless against the assault. There was clearly no need for Thu to cause hurt to the victim and also no good reason to excuse the violent attack. His conduct afterwards also showed a lack of remorse, he said.

District Judge Luke Tan agreed, saying the aggravating features of this case called for a sentence that was sufficiently severe to act as a deterrent.

Defence lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan said Thu's services had been terminated, and he was liable for $80,000 in liquidated damages, having attended a nursing science course in Singapore on an IMH scholarship.

The maximum penalty for causing grevious hurt is 10 years' jail and a fine or caning.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 22, 2016

Malaysian actor Tony Eusoff jailed 8 months for possessing drugs while on filming assignment

Malaysian actor Tony Eusoff outside the State Courts on April 12, 2016. PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN

Published Apr 21, 2016, 12:59 pm SGT
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

SINGAPORE - A Malaysian actor who was found with a packet of cannabis mixture at the Tuas checkpoint in March this year was jailed for eight months on Thursday (April 21).

Tony Eusoff, whose real name is Anthony Joseph Hermas Rajiman, pleaded guilty to having a packet with no less than 4.56g of the drug at the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) bus arrival hall at the Tuas checkpoint on March 12.

The court heard that the 39-year-old had entered Singapore on a social visit pass for a filming assignment. He brought the packet of cannabis mixture here for his own use.

Before his coach arrived at the Tuas checkpoint, he removed the packet of weed from his luggage and placed it behind the last row of seats on the upper deck of the coach.

He intended to retrieve it after clearing immigration.

An ICA officer who was checking the coach found the packet of weed. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) was later informed about the case.

A CNB officer interviewed passengers but none of them admitted to owning the packet.

Tony was then taken to the CNB office at the checkpoint for investigations. He admitted to owning the recovered packet of weed and said it was for his own consumption.

Actor Tony Eusoff was said to be in Singapore to film an upcoming drama.

The actor played the lead character, Tan Sri P. Ramlee, in P. Ramlee The Musical, staged at Malaysia's Istana Budaya in 2014.

In court on Thursday, there were 10 supporters who turned up for the Sarawakian actor's case. They included Wild Rice artistic director Ivan Heng, actor Lim Kay Siu and his wife, Neo Swee Lin, as well as investment banker and chief executive of TC Capital, Dr Tommy Tan.

In Tony's mitigation plea, his lawyer Abraham Vergis highlighted the actor's significant achievements to the arts scene on both sides of the Causeway, calling him a cultural asset.

He said his client showed true contrition and remorse. His momentary lack of judgment was precipitated by stress, the relentless demands of his professional life, and an all-invasive loss of privacy, he said.

Counsel tendered 11 character references attesting to his client's integrity, professionalism and excellent work ethics.

Tiara Jacquelina, president and group chief executive officer of Enfiniti Vision Media, wrote that Tony was a "steady, disciplined and dependable actor", and "has a very bright future ahead of him... and is considered one of the local arts industry's most valuable assets".

Her husband, former Cabinet Minister Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr Effendi Norwawi, said Tony is "very highly regarded and greatly respected in the local arts industry".

The chairman of Bloomberg TV Malaysia also wrote that he is "renowned for his discipline, reliability, hard work, and as a person of high integrity".

Mr Vergis said his client is determined to turn his life around when he gets released.

"He is looking forward to using his story as a learning point for others to not try or associate oneself with drugs," he said.

The maximum penalty for possession is 10 years' jail and a $20,000 fine.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 22, 2016

British man who committed spate of thefts in Singapore jailed 26 months

James John Watson was jailed for 26 months after committing theft on two trips to Singapore.

Published 8 hours ago
Amir Hussain

SINGAPORE - A 59-year-old British man with joint and heart ailments came to Singapore twice to steal - so that he could raise money for his pregnant girlfriend's medical expenses in Cambodia.

He made off with nearly $12,400 in total, but was caught when a victim activated an app on his stolen Apple iPad to track the device's location.

On Thursday (April 21), James John Watson was jailed for 26 months after he pleaded guilty to seven charges, with another nine counts considered in sentencing.

The 16 charges were for theft, committing mischief to property, possession of housebreaking tools, fraudulent possession of property, drug possession and using abusive language against a public servant.

A district court heard that on the night of July 9 last year, Watson, who lives in Cambodia, came to Singapore and stayed at InnCrowd Backpackers' Hostel in Dunlop Street. He checked out the next morning, at about 11.15am, but remained at the hostel.

At about 11.25am, he broke into a locker that was used by a Swiss tourist, and stole $3,218 worth of the latter's belongings.

Watson left Singapore about 2-1/2 hours later.

Less than a month later, he was back in Singapore.

He arrived on the evening of Aug 3 and went to the Fitness First gym at Handy Road the next morning. He told staff there that he was an overseas member of the fitness chain, but they did not allow him to use the gym facilities - because he did not have any membership proof. Watson was, however, allowed to check out the gym facilities, unaccompanied.

He went into the men's locker room at about 11.20am and broke into five lockers.

Just 10 minutes later, he left the gym with $4,500 worth of loot.

Two days later, Watson struck again.

This time, he went to Energia Fitness Club at Riverside Point in Merchant Road.

At about 12.20pm on Aug 6, he asked staff there about membership rates, before being allowed to check out the gym facilities unaccompanied.

Watson then went into the men's locker room and broke into four lockers.

He left the gym about 20 minutes later with loot worth about $4,600.

But one of his victims, Mr Gaston Ng Han Wei, 33, tracked him down. Mr Ng remotely activated the Find My iPhone app on his stolen iPad and traced it to Dunlop Street. He then went there with his cousin and a member of staff from the gym.

At about 3.40pm, Mr Ng spotted Waston and called the police. Policemen found Watson at about 4.15pm with house-breaking instruments in his possession. He had three crowbars, a screwdriver and pocket knife.

Watson also had a ziploc bag containing 1.79g of cannabis.

Separately, while warded at Singapore General Hospital under police custody four days later, Watson also hurled vulgarities at a policeman.

In pleading for leniency, Watson's lawyer Henry Lim, assigned to him under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, said his client suffered two heart attacks after his arrest, and is diagnosed with ischemic heart disease.

Watson also suffers from osteoarthritis, and has undergone surgery for two hip replacements and one knee replacement.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 22, 2016

She spins baby around, dangles him upside down

Photo: My Paper

Shaffiq Alkathib
Wednesday, Apr 20, 2016

She is a mother with a family back home in Indonesia.

But this did not stop maid Tursinah Sari, 32, from ill-treating her employers' baby 15 times between December last year and this February.

She repeatedly abused the defenceless boy when he was between the ages of 14 and 16 months because she could not get him to fall asleep.

Tursinah was jailed for 12 weeks yesterday after pleading guilty to six counts of ill-treating the child in his Punggol family flat.

Nine other similar charges involving the boy were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The baby and his parents cannot be named to protect his identity.

Tears welled up in Tursinah's eyes yesterday as she stood in the dock to face District Judge Luke Tan.

The court heard that she started abusing the boy on Dec 25 last year by forcefully pulling him upwards by one of his arms.

From then on, she continued ill-treating him, sometimes up to three times a day.

On Jan 27, she dropped him onto a sofa before pressing on his ribs with both her hands.

Five days later, she forcefully pulled him out of his cot by grabbing his legs.

After that, she spun his body around to face her while he was dangling upside down. (See report, right.)

CCTV

The acts of abuse only came to light on Feb 5 when his horrified parents viewed footage from a CCTV installed in their flat and saw her ill-treating their son on multiple occasions.

His father informed the police the next day and officers arrested Tursinah.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dora Tay said the baby was also examined at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital that day but no gross external injuries were found on him.

She urged Judge Tan to jail the maid for at least 12 weeks, stressing that Tursinah had abused the trust placed in her.

The maid, who was not represented by a lawyer, said in her mitigation plea that her employers owed her five months' pay. Judge Tan replied that she would have to seek a separate recourse for this matter.

Before handing out the sentence, he said that it was surprising that Tursinah, as a mother, could abuse a child.

He added that the baby was too young to express distress, protect himself and seek help.

"You must have understood the anguish of the parents when they discovered the abuse," said Judge Tan.

For each count of ill-treating the baby, Tursinah could have been jailed up to four years and fined up to $4,000.

TIMELINE OF ABUSE

Dec 25, 2015

Indonesian maid Tursinah Sari, now 32, forcefully pulls the baby boy, then 14 months old, upwards by one of his arms.

Dec 27

She forcefully pulls him out of his cot by grabbing one of his wrists.

Jan 10, 2016

She holds him upside down by his ankles.

She slaps his face and pushes his head once.

Jan 27

She drops him onto a sofa and presses on his ribs with both her hands.

Jan 31

She forcefully pulls him out of his cot by one of his wrists.

She holds him upside down by both his legs and drops him into his cot.

She forcefully pulls him up from his cot by grabbing the front of his T-shirt.

Feb 1

She pulls him up from his cot by one of his wrists.

She forcefully pulls him up from his cot by grabbing his legs.

She also spins his body around to face her while he is dangling upside down.

Feb 2

She pulls him up from his cot by grabbing both his hands in her right hand.

Feb 3

She pulls him up from his cot by grabbing one of his hands.

She also spins him around by his hand while he is dangling in mid-air.

Feb 4

She forcefully pulls him from his cot by grabbing one of his hands.

She forcefully jerks him up and down several times while carrying him.

She pulls him up from his cot by grabbing the front of his T-shirt.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 23, 2016

Ex-director jailed 22 months for CBT involving $130,000

Published 4 hours ago
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

A former businesswoman who committed forgery and pocketed $130,000 from a jewellery company by encashing two cheques was jailed for 22 months yesterday.

Chinese national Gou Linnan, 36,was a director at W & G Jewellery, which operates a retail outlet named Chow Tai Fook Jewellery at Marina Bay Sands (MBS).

As one of the two authorised signatories of the company's bank account, she could sign and make a cheque withdrawal.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Hon Yi said between July 14 and 18 in 2011, Gou issued two cash cheques amounting to $130,000.

She wrote in the cheque book summary page that the cheques were payments to Chow Tai Fook, a Hong Kong-based jewellery supplier of W & G Jewellery.

But she encashed the cheques and spent the money on gambling.

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery confirmed that it did not receive the payments of $100,000 and $30,000 from W & G Jewellery.

She then forged a bank telegraphic transfer form in a bid to conceal her misappropriation of the $100,000.

She wrote her name as the applicant remitting $100,000 from her UOB personal account to Chow Tai Fook Jewellery's bank account in Hong Kong.

She then forged the signature of a bank employee under the "For Bank Use Only'' section to make it appear that the transaction had been carried out.

Police reports were subsequently made and she was arrested.

A second forgery charge was taken into consideration.

Gou has made partial restitution of 500,000 yuan (about $104,000) to Mr Wang Kaizhong, a director of W&G Jewellery.

Her lawyer, Mr Josephus Tan, said his client had been in a seven-year relationship with Mr Wang and went through four abortions. When the relationship went downhill, she gambled. She had hoped to win, and return the money to the company.

Mr Tan told the court that Gou married a Singaporean in 2014 and wants to start a family.

Gou could have been jailed for life or up to 20 years and fined for criminal breach of trust. The maximum penalty for forgery is 10 years' jail and a fine.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 26, 2016

Japanese man who slapped three policemen at MRT station fined $6,000

Masano Takeshi, 27, was fined $6000 for slapping three police officers at an MRT station. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Published 9 hours ago
Amir Hussain

SINGAPORE - A Japanese man who slapped three policemen at an MRT station was on Monday (April 25) fined $6,000 after he pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a public servant.

Masano Takeshi, 27, an employment pass holder, admitted to two other counts of the same and a charge, of behaving in an annoying manner whilst drunk in a public place. These were considered in sentencing.

A district court heard that at about 11pm on Sept 10, last year, Takeshi was seen struggling with another person at City Hall MRT Station. His face was flushed and he also reeked of alcohol.

Shortly after, the station manager took Takeshi, stumbling and yelling in Japanese, to a first aid room at the station.

At about 11.15pm, officers from the police's Public Transport Security Command arrived. They saw Takeshi waving his hands wildly.

The policemen calmed him down and got him to sit on a chair. But Takeshi got up again and mumbled loudly, before he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

At about 11.25pm, he slapped a policeman once each on his right and left cheeks.

Ten minutes later, he slapped another officer's right cheek once.

Takeshi then stood up, fell backwards and hit his head on a bed frame.

The officers helped him up and sat him on a chair. They saw that he was bleeding at the back of his head and used a bandage to apply pressure on his wound to stop the bleeding.

When a policeman tried to ask him about his condition, Takeshi suddenly slapped the third officer's face several times.

Both the prosecution and defence asked for a fine of about $5,000.

Takeshi's lawyer said the assaults were committed impulsively, and when he was bleeding profusely and in pain.

He has written letters of apology to the officers, and has converted to Islam and will be maintaining his sobriety, his lawyer added.

In passing sentence, District Judge Low Wee Ping told Takeshi: "In Singapore, we give greatest respect to police officers. I wouldn't even dare to scold them, let alone slap them, even as a judge, because they can arrest me."

Judge Low added: "In the Asian context, (a slap) is very insulting, slighlty less than spitting at a police officer."

When the judge said he did not sense any sign of remorse from Takeshi, his lawyer told the court that both his parents are police officers in Japan, prompting the judge to reply: "That is even more mystifying."

"If the prosecution had not asked for a fine, I would have sent him to two days in jail for him to sober up, pardon the pun," the judge said.

The maximum penalty for assaulting a public servant is four years' jail and a fine.

The maximum punishment for behaving in an annoying manner whilst drunk in a public place is a $1,000 fine and six months' jail.

GeneralHavoc · Apr 28, 2016

Woman who lost foot in bus accident: Driver jailed

Lau (above) drove off while Madam Ting was alighting, causing her to fall onto the road before the bus stopped again. Her left leg was trapped under the bus' rear left tyre. The judge said Lau owed a high duty of care for the safety of all the commuters on the bus as a public bus driver.ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Published 2 min ago

He will also be barred from driving for 11/2 years after serving one-week sentence

Amir Hussain
Wong Shiying

A bus driver was jailed for a week yesterday for causing an accident that resulted in an elderly passenger's foot being amputated.

SMRT driver Lau Pik Choong, 53, drove off while Madam Ting Lan Kin was alighting, causing her to fall onto the road before the bus stopped again - with her leg lodged under its rear left tyre.

Lau, a Singapore permanent resident from Malaysia, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing grievous hurt by a negligent act. He will be barred from driving all classes of vehicles for 11/2 years after his release.

District Judge Eddy Tham told Lau that he had no excuse for the accident. "You, as a public bus driver, owe a high duty of care for the safety of all the commuters on the bus. You have to ensure that each passenger alights and boards safely.

"You could have easily avoided this tragic situation by watching to ensure that she had fully alighted before closing the door and moving off. Your gross negligence was the sole cause of the victim sustaining grievous hurt," he said.

When The Straits Times visited Madam Ting last night, the widow said she was already trying to move past the incident, despite still feeling the occasional pain from dry skin cracking at the bottom of her stump.

When told about the bus driver's sentence, she said in dialect: "It doesn't matter to me; I want to let the matter rest. I'm already so old but he still has a family to feed."

Madam Ting's family has hired a helper to care for her. The 89-year- old lives with her daughter and son-in-law at a flat in Tampines.

"I miss going to the market and cooking for my family, but they will bring me around the neighbourhood regularly on my wheelchair."

The court heard that at about 1pm on April 3 last year, Madam Ting was at the back of bendy bus service 913 near the rear exit. She pressed the buzzer to get off at a stop in Woodlands Centre Road.

Madam Ting walked slowly because of her age and before she could reach the exit, Lau closed the door. Another passenger pressed the buzzer to alert the driver and Lau opened the rear exit door again.

Madam Ting slowly made her way down the steps of the exit. When she was on the last step, with one foot on the ground, Lau drove off without closing the door.

The court heard that he did not check his mirror or a monitor on his dashboard.

Madam Ting's left leg was run over by the vehicle's rear left tyre.

Passengers shouted at Lau and he immediately stopped the bus. As Madam Ting's left leg was pinned under the tyre, he slowly reversed the bus in order to free her.

Madam Ting was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital where the front of her left foot had to be amputated. She was hospitalised for a total of seven weeks.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok asked for one to two weeks' jail, noting that Lau was grossly negligent in his primary duty, which was to allow passengers to board and alight safely. "His selfish act deprived the victim of a limb," he said.

Lau, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded against a jail term, saying it would result in him losing his job.

SMRT has apologised to Madam Ting's family and suspended the bus driver.

SMRT's vice-president of corporate information and communications Patrick Nathan said: "All bus captains are reminded to put the safety of commuters first."

GeneralHavoc · Apr 29, 2016

Man jailed three years for stabbing neighbour who splashed hot oil and water on him

Bounty Gill was sentenced to three years' jail for stabbing his neighbour with a knife.

Published 7 hours ago
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

SINGAPORE - An unemployed man stabbed his neighbour after the latter splashed hot oil and water at him, a court heard.

Bounty Gill, 59, was sentenced to three years' jail on Thursday (April 28) after he was convicted of grievously hurting Mr Kho Ah Yeow, now 60.

Gill stabbed Mr Kho in his abdomen a few times with a knife, causing him to be unable to pursue his ordinary activities for 26 days.

The attack took place along the sixth-storey common corridor of Block 3 Jalan Bukit Merah on June 25 last year.

Mr Kho underwent various surgical procedures. Gill, meanwhile, was warded for two days.

The only disputed fact in the case was whether there was grave and sudden provocation by Mr Kho such that Gill could not control himself when he stabbed Mr Kho .

In his brief grounds, District Judge Lim Keng Yeow found that grave and sudden provocation was not established by the defence.

He said Gill's evidence was that he felt angry and provoked by Mr Kho's actions.

When he returned home his mind went blank, he could not recall having stabbed the victim and was unable to give any evidence of his actions or intentions.

The judge said he did not accept that Gill's mind went blank.

"His act of lying about his mind having completely gone blank could only be because he had to hide his motivations and intentions behind the stabbing, making defence suggestions that he had acted on grave and sudden provocation much less probable,'' he said.

Judge Lim said he took into account that a knife was used, that there were a few stabs, and that the injuries caused were very serious.

But he said he was also prepared to give weight to the fact that the victim - Mr Kho - was the instigator and that there was considerable provocation before the stabbing.

Defence lawyer Favian Kang said that Gill, who was living on social assistance, had been suffering from schizophrenia and a host of other mental illnesses for many years.

"Prior to the incident, he had been bullied and harassed by Kho,'' he said.

Gill's previous convictions included using abusive language, using criminal force on a public servant, criminal intimidation and causing grievous hurt.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yang Ziliang had argued that a sentence of 3½ to four years' jail be imposed after accepting that there was provocation to a certain degree although not to the level of grave and sudden provocation.

Gill, whose sentence was backdated to June 26 last year, could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined.

Mr Kho was earlier sentenced to three months' jail for hurting Gill by means of heated substance.

[email protected]

GeneralHavoc · Apr 30, 2016

Bus driver gets 3 weeks' jail and 5-year driving ban for causing pedestrian's death

Malaysian Chang Chee Wing was jailed for three weeks and banned from driving for five years on Friday (April 29).

Published 9 hours ago
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

SINGAPORE - An SMRT bus driver was switching lanes along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3 when the vehicle's mirror hit a couple standing on the centre divider and pushed the woman onto the road in November last year.

Malaysian Chang Chee Wing, 36, saw that the right side mirror had encroached into the centre divider and had hit Mr Lim Kan Yong's head. The driver then swerved to the left and stopped the bus.

When he came out, he saw the 71-year-old's wife, Madam Neo Ah Lai, also 71, lying along the opposite side of the road. She had multiple injuries and died the next day.
"
Chang was jailed for three weeks and banned from driving for five years on Friday (April 29). He admitted to having failed to keep a proper lookout and having negligently caused Madam Neo's death on Nov 5 last year.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Low Chun Yee said the couple were on their way home after having breakfast at a coffeeshop nearby at 6.18 am that day.

They crossed Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3 towards Brickland Road and stood on the centre divider, waiting for traffic to clear before crossing to the Esso petrol kiosk on the other side.

Chang had meanwhile stopped along the road to pick up passengers at a bus stop.

As he drove off from the bus stop, he switched to the right lane as he intended to turn right at the signalised traffic junction ahead into Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4.

As he filtered into the right lane, he saw the couple standing on the centre divider. But he failed to keep a proper lookout and drove very close to the centre divider.

Chang, who was unrepresented, told District Judge Kessler Soh that he had worked in Singapore for the past eight years, and had not been working for the past four to five months due to the accident.

He said he was paying instalments for his home and car.

Pleading for a lenient sentence, he said his income was not enough to pay for his family expenses . He asked the court not to jail him as his two children need him.

A second charge, of hurting Mr Lim through negligence which endangered his life, was taken into consideration.

Chang could have been jailed for up to two years and fined for causing death by negligence.

khunking · May 1, 2016

Left Hand Drive in Singapore

No COE No ERP?

GeneralHavoc · May 4, 2016

8 Bangladeshi men detained in Singapore; kill-list, bomb manual found

Photo: Ministry of Home Affairs

SINGAPORE - Eight Bangladeshi men who were detained by Singapore's Internal Security Department in April are part of a clandestine group which identified other Bangladeshi civilians, media personnel and government officials as targets, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Tuesday (May 3).

The group called itself the Islamic State in Bangladesh (ISB) and its members had plans to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as foreign fighters, MHA added.

However, as they felt that it would be difficult for them to make their way to Syria, they focused their plans on returning to Bangladesh to overthrow the democratically-elected government through the use of force, so that they could establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh and bring it under ISIS' self-declared caliphate.

According to MHA, the group is believed to have been formed in March by S-Pass holder Rahman Mizanur, 31. The other members, aged 26 to 34, were all work permit holders employed in the construction and marine industries.

A document titled "We Need for Jihad Fight" was recovered from Rahman Mizanur, which contained a list of Bangladeshi government leaders, military officials, media personnel and "disbelievers" who could be targeted for attack. He also possessed documents on weapons and bomb making, as well as a significant amount of material on ISIS and Al-Qaeda, which he used to recruit members in Singapore since the start of the year.

In a statement, MHA said that Rahman Mizanur indicated that he would carry out an attack anywhere if he was instructed by ISIS to do so. However, there are no specific indications that Singapore was identified as a target by the group.

The group is also alleged to have raised money to purchase firearms for their attacks, but the money they collected has since been seized.

MHA said in its statement that it believes there are at least two more members in the group who are currently in Bangladesh.

The detained ISB members in Singapore are still under investigation for their activities here. Several of them could be prosecuted for terrorism financing.

Another five Bangladeshi workers in Singapore who were found to have possessed or proliferated jihadi-related materials, or supported the use of armed violence in pursuit of a religious cause were found to have no involvement in ISB, but have since been repatriated.

Members of the public who suspect that a person has been radicalised, or is engaging in terrorist activities or propagating extremist teachings, can inform the Internal Security Department or call the police.

[email protected]

GeneralHavoc · May 4, 2016

Sri Lankan student jailed for 10 weeks for molesting woman in lift

The 28-year-old student was sentenced to 10 weeks' jail, after pleading guilty to grabbing a woman's buttock in a lift at Buangkok Crescent.

Published May 3, 2016, 5:47 pm SGT
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent

SINGAPORE - A Sri Lankan student who molested a woman in a HDB lift was jailed for 10 weeks on Tuesday (May 3).

Yattowita Withanage Buddhika Padmakumara, 28, pleaded guilty to grabbing the 33-year-old woman's buttock in a lift at Buangkok Crescent at about 7.20pm on April 13 this year.

A court heard that Padmakumara was on his way home at about 7.15pm that day when he saw the victim walking alone from a bus stop. He decided to follow her as he found her very attractive.

He followed her into a lift at a block at Buangkok Crescent and randomly pressed for the 10th floor. He then went towards the back of the lift, behind her.

As the lift was going up, he inched closer to the back of the victim.

When the lift door opened at the 10th floor, he walked past her and simultaneously used his right hand to grab her buttock once, intending to outrage her modesty.

He then ran out of the lift. The victim was shocked and shouted at him.

He turned briefly and said "sorry'' before fleeing down the staircase.

She called the police.

The court heard that the entire incident was captured on closed-circuit television camera within the lift. Through the CCTV footage and follow-up investigations, Padmakumara was traced and arrested five days later at a flat in Buangkok Crescent.

He told the court he was doing a one-year diploma course, and had drunk alcohol before the incident.

He could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or received any combined punishment.

GeneralHavoc · May 4, 2016

4 illegal immigrants arrested, 532 cartons of duty unpaid cigarettes seized

Photo: Singapore Police Force

Sunday, May 1, 2016

SINGAPORE - Four illegal immigrants have been arrested in a joint operation by the Police Coast Guard (PCG) and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

A police statement today said that on April 30 at around 11.53pm, the PCG detected a speedboat inside Singapore waters heading towards the shoreline of Tanah Merah.

When intercepted, four illegal immigrants aged between 23 and 39 years were arrested and 532 cartons of duty unpaid cigarettes were seized.

Commander of the PCG, senior assistant commissioner of police Hsu Sin Yun said, "The success of this joint operation between SPF and ICA reaffirm our strong resolve and determination in cracking down on any illegal activities in Singapore waters.

"We take a very serious view on illegal smuggling activities and will act swiftly in bringing the offenders to justice".

[email protected]

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