Escapee jailed additional 7 months after brother turns him in
Posted: 19 August 2011 1857 hrs
SINGAPORE : An inmate who escaped from custody was sentenced to an additional seven months' jail on Friday, after being re-arrested when his brother turned him in two-and-a-half months ago.
Tee Choon Yong, 33, had been sentenced to 54 months' jail and given six strokes of the cane in October 2008 for robbery and housebreaking.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Elena Yip said on Friday that Tee had been granted leave on January 6 so that he could be employed by the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE).
He was assigned to work at the Singapore General Hospital's linen section as part of his rehabilitative programme and had to stay at the Selarang Park Community Supervision Centre.
Tee was granted leave to return home in May but he had to stick to a curfew. DPP Yip said that Tee had to remain indoors between 6pm and 5am on weekdays and between 8pm and 8am on weekends.
But he disobeyed these orders and left home at around 11pm on May 27. He went to Geylang and bought a pair of scissors which he used to cut away the electronic tagging device around his ankle.
Over the next few days, Tee received numerous calls and messages from officers at the supervision centre asking him to report to them.
He ignored their orders and only went home in the morning on May 30.
His brother called the police about his return and Tee was arrested at around noon that day.
For escaping from custody, he could have been jailed up to two years, fined, or both.
- CNA/ms/al
