Man gets fine after hurting another when caught trying to steal lingerie; police find 259 panties in raid
Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY
Samsudin Chik outside the State Courts on March 11, 2024.
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- Samsudin Chik was caught by a man while trying to steal lingerie
- In an attempt to flee, he elbowed the man in the face
- When police conducted a raid on his home after arresting him, they found 259 pairs of panties and several other female clothing believed to be stolen
- The 66-year-old was sentenced to a fine of S$5,000
BY
LORAINE LEE
Published March 11, 2024
Updated March 11, 2024
SINGAPORE — When Samsudin Chik spotted some lingerie hanging on a laundry pole along corridor of a housing block, he decided to steal them thinking no one was looking.
When he was caught by a man, whose sister owned the lingerie, Samsudin got into a scuffle as he tried to flee and ended up hitting the man on the right cheek with his elbow.
Arresting Samsudin at his home and raiding it later, the police found 259 pairs of panties, 49 bras and several female clothes in his possession.
On Monday (March 11), the court sentenced him to a fine of S$5,000 after he pleaded guilty to possessing items believed to be stolen and voluntarily causing hurt.
A third charge of attempted theft was taken into consideration during sentencing.
WHAT HAPPENED
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State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Ng Chee Wee told the court that on Sept 9 last year at about 5.30pm, Samsudin was walking down from the highest level of a public housing block along Beach Road when he chanced upon some lingerie and a laundry bag hanging on a pole along a corridor.
As he tried to take the lingerie and put them into the laundry bag, a man who was returning home from work spotted him.
The items belonged to the man's sister, SPO Ng said.
"The (male) victim immediately went up and confronted the accused, which led to a verbal dispute between them," SPO Ng added.
"When the victim wanted to call for police assistance, the accused tried to leave the scene."
To prevent Samsudin from leaving, the man tried to hold Samsudin back and a scuffle started.
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That was when Samusdin used his elbow to hit the man in the right cheek and his hands to push the man's chest. Samsudin then quickly left the scene, leaving the lingerie and laundry bag on the floor.
SPO Ng said that the man shouted at Samsudin before calling the police.
The police later arrested Samsudin on Sept 12 last year and raided his home.
There, they found 259 pairs of panties, 49 bras, as well as other articles of female clothing such as 32 pairs of shorts and four tops. There were also four laundry bags and two foldable laundry hangers that were "reasonably suspected of being stolen", SPO Ng said.
The police were unable to ascertain the rightful owners of the items.
Samsudin's lawyer, Mr Rajwin Singh from law firm Rajwin & Yong LLP, said that his client apologises to his family and friends for his actions.
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Mr Rajwin said that Samsudin had offered to pay the man's medical bill of S$10, but the man refused.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Samsudin could have been jailed for up to three years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.
For possessing items suspected to be stolen, an offender can be fined up to S$3,000 or jailed for up to a year, or both.
As a repeat offender, Samusdin who was convicted of a theft offence in 1985 could have been fined up to S$5,000 or been jailed for up to two years, or both.
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