Former site supervisor pleads guilty to theft of about S$350,000 in cash & items

[chowka]

Former site supervisor pleads guilty to theft of about S$350,000 in cash & items
By Lynda Hong | Posted: 05 August 2010 1728 hrs
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SINGAPORE: A former site supervisor pleaded guilty this morning in court to stealing nearly S$350,000 worth of cash and items from landed residential property.

Matthew Ong Joo Wah, 36, committed the offences on three occasions during the day in March. He would enter the victims' houses when no one was home and stole Rolex watches and jewellery.

According to court documents, he would then go to the casino at Resorts World Sentosa to sell some of the stolen items to an illegal goods dealer there. After selling the items for cash, Ong then used the money to gamble in the casino.

Ong has previous convictions for theft and was released from prison in 2003.

His lawyer, Mr Raymond Ng, told the court that Ong had turned over a new leaf and had been working hard to earn a living for himself and his family.

He said Ong, who is married with two young children, had been introduced to a Vietnamese girl, by his former colleague, earlier this year and began an affair with her.

He then could not concentrate at work and had been fired by his employer just before Chinese New Year.

Ong will appear in court again on August 26. - CNA/vm

 

[chowka]

Thief junks valuable stamps


Aug 5, 2010
Thief junks valuable stamps

<!-- by line --> By Khushwant Singh
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start --> SORTING his loot after a burglary, Matthew Ong Joo Wah kept the $180,000 in cash and foreign currencies, the two Rolex watches worth a total of $11,000, and threw away four albums containing old China stamps, which he thought was worthless. Only after he was arrested about two weeks later, did he learn that the stamps were valued at $100,000. By then, they could not be found.

The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of housebreaking on Thursday. As he had several previous convictions for theft and cheating, District Judge Sarjit Singh called for corrective training and preventive detention reports. Such longer and tougher detention is meant for seasoned offenders.

The court heard that at 12pm on March 11, Ong noticed that an apartment at Le Meritt condominium in Telok Kurau appeared unoccupied. He sneaked in after forcing open the balcony's sliding door. Finding a safe in a bedroom, he wrapped it in a blanket and carried it to his car.

After he forced the safe open, he kept the money, the watches but disposed off the stamp albums at the rubbish collection point. Ong then went to Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), where he sold the watches to an illegal second-hand dealer and gambled some of the money away. The next day, he flew off to Vietnam with his Vietnamese girlfriend. There he gave her $6,000.

He was arrested at the Causeway checkpoint upon his return on March 26. Cash amounting to $113,400 was recovered from him. Ong also admitted to breaking into two other homes and stealing a total of $17,000 in cash and $25,000 worth of jewellery and watches. He sold off the stolen items and then gambled away the money at RWS.

 

[chowka]

Serial burglar jailed 7 years


Aug 31, 2010
Serial burglar jailed 7 years

<!-- by line --> By Khushwant Singh
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start --> A RECALCITRANT burglar was sentenced to seven years of corrective training and six strokes of the cane on Tuesday. Between March 4 and 11 this year, Matthew Ong Joo Wah, 37, broke into six houses at different neighbourhoods around the island.

He pleaded guilty to three burglary counts on Aug 5. Three charges were considered by the judge in sentencing. Prosecutors also pressed for a new charge against Ong on Tuesday; taking nearly $113,400 of his loot out of the country.

Corrective training was deemed suitable as Ong is a seasoned offender having been jailed on five occasions for theft, cheating and housebreaking between 1990 and 2000. On March 11, Ong stole his biggest haul. He carried off a safe from an apartment at the Le Merritt condominium in Telok Kurau and took it to his grandmother's house in Waterloo Street.

Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.

 

[bebo]

Why would anyone keep as much as $359k at home?