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[Akuma]

Man charged with causing death and injuring cyclists

Published on Dec 14, 2012
By Elena Chong

A Chinese national was charged on Friday with causing the death of a pedal cyclist and injuring two riders along Loyang Avenue in August.

Wang Weiguan, 30, is accused of causing the death of bank employee Freddy Khoo Boon Hai, 48, by failing to keep a proper lookout when his lorry hit the back of the cyclist along the left lane at 6.52am on Aug 18.

He is said to have caused hurt to Mr Eugene Low Ju-sen, 37, and Mr Kevin Quek Weng Yew, 26, who were cycling with Mr Khoo by doing a negligent act to endanger life.

All three were flung off their bicycles. Mr Khoo, an avid triathlete who had taken part in several half-Ironman triathlon races, died later in hospital. The other two cyclists had minor injuries.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Eomer]

Malaysian jailed 4 months for taking $19,000 left in casino

Published on Dec 17, 2012
By Khushwant Singh

An odd-job worker had placed his plastic bag containing $19,000 in cash on the chair next to him while playing a jackpot machine in the Marina Bay Sands casino.

Mr Muhammad Mustaqim Mohd Shaffir, 28, then walked away without the bag at 9.15am on Aug 1 this year. Within minutes, a man took it away.

On Monday, Mohamad Salleh Din, 53, a Malaysian businessman, was jailed for four months for misappropriating the money.

A district court heard that Muhammad Mustaqim, a Singaporean, had informed casino staff members when found that his money had gone missing.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Krizalid]

Vietnamese youth charged with break-in at NUS hostel

Published on Dec 19, 2012
By Elena Chong

A Vietnamese youth was charged on Wednesday with breaking into Prince George's Park Residences (PGPR), a hostel at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Tran Thai Hung, 19, allegedly committed housebreaking by night at Blk 11 Prince George's Park, at about 11.30pm on Nov 20.

The prosecution applied for him to be remanded for a week at Clementi Police Division, as he is believed to be involved in similar cases.

The case will be mentioned on Dec 26.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Eomer]

Man jailed 3 months for attempt to molest colleague in hotel room

Published on Dec 20, 2012
By Khushwant Singh

She had accompanied him as she was worried about his strange behaviour but he tried to molest her in a room in the Fullerton Hotel on Nov 3 last year.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old Australian national was jailed for three months. He had pleaded guilty to using criminal force with the intent of outraging the modesty of his 25-year-old Singaporean victim. The man cannot be named as it could lead to her identification.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Alan Hu told a district court that on that afternoon, the two executives went to The Arcade at Raffles Place to buy fruit. While returning to their office, he started behaving strangely and talking about negative things when at the ground floor lift lobby. He then ran out of the building.

She caught up with him and he said he needed to talk. When they passed The Fullerton Hotel at about 5pm, he booked a room and suggested that she go off. She was still worried about his weird behaviour and went up with him.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Eomer]

High roller gambler fined $10k for bringing in $836k without reporting it

Published on Dec 20, 2012

With $436,000 in a bag and an additional $400,000 stuffed in his underwear, a Vietnamese businessman was stopped at the airport and arrested for failing to declare the amount of money he was bringing into Singapore. On Thursday, Tran Ngoc Khoi, 36, was fined $10,000 by a district court. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

By Khushwant Singh

With $436,000 in a bag and an additional $400,000 stuffed in his underwear, a Vietnamese businessman was stopped at the airport and arrested for failing to declare the amount of money he was bringing into Singapore.

On Thursday, Tran Ngoc Khoi, 36, was fined $10,000 by a district court.

Anyone moving $30,000 or more, or the equivalent in a foreign currency, must submit a report at a checkpoint. Failure to do this could mean a fine of up to $50,000 or up to three years in jail, or both.

As police investigations have revealed that Khoi was bringing in the $836,000 to help three friends to pay off their gambling debts with Marina Bay Sands casino, the cash seized by the police will be returned to him.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Two plead guilty to making false GST claims

Published on Dec 21, 2012
By Lim Yan Liang

He thought he had come up with an undetectable way to game the GST refund system, pocketing more than $37,000 in tax refunds over 20 occasions by generating false electronic tourist refund scheme ("eTRS") tickets based on genuine receipts of jewelry bought by Singaporeans.

But on Friday, 29-year-old tax fraud mastermind Shadadpuri Jerome Dasigao and his 39-year-old accomplice Naguit Jennifer Cumadre, both from the Philippines, were found guilty in court of making false GST claims.

For seven counts of forging receipts and generating false eTRS tickets to claim GST refund, Dasigao was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment and a penalty of $43,129.68. Another 13 charges were taken into consideration.

Dasigao, who was working as a customer service assistant at Goldheart Jewelry's ION Orchard outlet when he cooked up the scheme in November last year, had made forged receipts on his laptop based on real ones that he printed without permission from Goldheart's computer system.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Man acquitted of having paid sex with underage girl
By Alice Chia | Posted: 26 December 2012 1851 hrs

File photo of the Subordinate Courts

SINGAPORE: A 29-year-old cleaner, accused of having paid sex with an underage girl, was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal on Wednesday.

Md Salauddin Md Dudu Mia, a Bangladeshi national, had allegedly paid the girl S$10 for sex.

The girl, now 15, cannot be named to protect her identity.

In his verdict, District Judge Low Wee Ping noted that the charge did not specify the exact date, time or place, although these details were required.

The court heard the offence allegedly took place on an evening in July this year, at a staircase landing of an unknown block in the vicinity of Hougang Avenue 4.

The judge added that the girl's testimony was vague and not corroborated by other witnesses.

He also said Salauddin had gone through a worrying process - legally and judicially.

Salauddin was charged in court on 1 August 2012 with six other cleaners for having paid sex with the girl.

The six have been convicted and are serving jail sentences between 10 and 17 months.

Salauddin had remained in remand till today.

Even as his trial started on December 19, Salauddin was not represented by a defence counsel as he could not afford to engage a lawyer.

Salauddin appeared overwhelmed at the acquittal, and thanked the judge in tears as his handcuffs were removed.

- CNA/de

 

[Vultan]

Thai woman arrested with 3.2kg of 'Ice' at Changi Airport
Posted: 27 December 2012 1918 hrs

'Ice' wrapped in aluminium foils. (Photo: CNB)

SINGAPORE: The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has arrested a 29-year-old Thai woman and seized about 3.2kg of 'Ice' in her possession at Changi Airport.

In a statement, the ICA said the drugs were found in her haversack during routine baggage checks on December 26.

During the course of checks, the officers noticed anomalies in the scanned images of her haversack.

The ICA officers' suspicion was aroused when they spotted a row of hand-sewn stitches at the handle compartment of the haversack.

The officers then carefully cut open the stitches and found a package, wrapped in aluminium foil, hidden inside the inner linings of the haversack.

They discovered another package, also wrapped in aluminium foil, hidden in the base cardboard of the haversack.

Preliminary tests conducted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers revealed that the white crystallised substance wrapped in the foil was 'Ice', also known as Methamphetamine Hydrochloride.

The woman was immediately detained.

Together with the seized exhibits, she was handed over to CNB for further investigations.

If convicted, the woman may face the death penalty under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

- CNA/de

 

[Vultan]

Man charged with theft onboard MRT train

Published on Dec 28, 2012
By Selina Lum

A 30-year-old Chinese national was charged in court on Friday for stealing from a commuter onboard an MRT train.

Wei Guangyao was accused of stealing a $360 wallet - containing various cards and cash - from a 25-year-old woman between the Kallang and Raffles Place stations on Wednesday morning.

He was remanded for further investigations for his possible involvement in at least five other similar cases. The case will be mentioned in court again on Jan 4.

The police advised the public to safeguard their personal belongings in public places at all times.

 

[Vultan]

Four men to be charged with murder following fight on New Year's Day
By Leong Wai Kit | Posted: 02 January 2013 2225 hrs

SINGAPORE: Four Indian nationals will be charged on January 3 with murder following a fight on New Year's Day.

The men are believed to be involved in a fight at Jurong Lake Park, at Chinese Garden Road.

Police said they arrived at the scene at about 1am and found a few men injured.

They were brought to the National University Hospital.

One of them, a 24-year-old man, died on Wednesday.

- CNA/fa

 

[Vultan]

Commuter jailed for smashing train window with fire extinguisher

Published on Jan 03, 2013

Ramachandran Kalaivanan, 32 yrs-old was sentenced one week jail for smashing a window of an MRT train with a fire extinguisher despite the pleas of a station officer to calm down. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

By Khushwant Singh

A train commuter smashed a window of an MRT train with a fire extinguisher despite the pleas of a station officer to calm down.

In the video clip viewed in the District Court on Thursday, Ramachandran Kalaivanan, 32, was then seen climbing out of the window with his hands cut by broken glass.

The Indian national had earlier pleaded guilty to committing mischief and causing damage amounting to $8,580.

He was jailed for a week but is appealing.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

4 arrested at Woodlands checkpoint for immigration offences
Posted: 03 January 2013 1716 hrs

The two men found hiding in the boot of the car by ICA. (Photo: ICA)

SINGAPORE: Four men have been arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said officers directed a departing Malaysia-registered car for checks.

When the driver opened the car boot for physical inspection, two men were found hiding inside.

The 36-year-old Malaysian driver, the 55-year-old Malaysian passenger and the two Indian nationals, 51 and 31 years of age, were arrested.

The vehicle has been detained and is liable for forfeiture.

The ICA said it takes a serious view of attempts to overstay, enter or depart Singapore illegally.

Under the Immigration Act, the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

The penalties for illegal departure is a fine of up to S$2,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.

- CNA/xq

 

[Vultan]

Masseuse jailed for a day, fined $5,000, for stealing ex-husband's jewellery

Published on Jan 04, 2013
By Khushwant Singh

A masseuse, who stole a Rolex watch and jewellery amounting to a total of $25,600 from her ex-husband, was jailed for a day and fined $5,000.

Itsariya Jinakarn, 41, a Thai national and a permanent resident here, pleaded guilty in a district court on Friday.

The court took into account a request by her former spouse not to impose a stiff sentence as the incident had unsettled and stressed out their 15-year-old daughter.

In his statutory declaration tendered at the hearing, Mr Chan Hwee Kiang, 51, said that his daughter's distressed state had prompted him to ask the police to withdraw all charges but the case still came to court.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Teacher fined S$6,000 for theft in school
By Claire Huang | Posted: 07 January 2013 1207 hrs

SINGAPORE: A teacher has been fined S$6,000 for theft. 22-year-old Feng Tian Tian, who is from China, admitted that she had stolen S$719 in cash and an iPhone 4S from seven people at the teachers' lounge in Woodgrove Secondary School.

She committed the offences between March and August 2012.

The prosecution proceeded with three of eight theft charges.

Feng, who had been teaching Mandarin in the school, would pretend to be unwell and skip the morning assembly. She would then go to the teachers' lounge to steal.

In mitigation, Feng's lawyer said his client was selected to take part in a teachers' award scheme organised by China and Singapore's education ministry. Under the programme, talented young teachers from China are posted to secondary schools here on a one-year stint.

Feng's lawyer said she was initially very enthusiastic, but found it hard to adjust to life here. He added that Feng's mother faced financial woes in China and this created added pressure on his client, who was said to be suffering from depression.

At the same time, her relationship with her boyfriend was on the rocks.

The lawyer added that the amount stolen was "very small" and that Feng has been very cooperative with the authorities. Full restitution was also made to the victims.

However, the prosecution said the psychiatric report did not state the presence of a causal link between Feng's depression and her actions.

The district judge said that no matter how difficult it was for Feng to adjust to life here, there was no excuse to steal. He noted the calculated manner in which she committed the offences and highlighted the fact that she was a teacher.

Given the full compensation she had made and the fact that she pleaded guilty early, the judge said a jail term was not required.

-CNA/ac

 

[Vultan]

Police arrest 2 men in fake gold scam

Items that were seized by the police from the 2 men: 105 fake ingots, 4 laughing Buddha statues, some old notes and coins, 1 old will, several publication by clans and associations in Singapore and mobile phones.

AsiaOne
Monday, Jan 07, 2013

SINGAPORE - Police have arrested two men, aged 41 and 45, for their suspected involvement in a foreign syndicate which sells fake gold items to elderly victims.

On Jan 2, the police received information on the presence of a foreign syndicate operating in Singapore.

Their modus operandi involves contacting potential victims claiming to be a distant relative.

After gaining the trust of the victim, the syndicate members would claim that they were construction workers and had unearthed an urn containing gold pieces, old currencies, wills and letters from a worksite.

The suspects would then convince the victims to buy the fake items. To convince the potential victims, they also provided the victim with a chipped-off sample from one of the items to allow the victim to verify its authenticity.

The syndicate obtained the contact numbers of the potential victims through publications by clans and associations in Singapore.

Upon receiving the information, officers from Bedok Police Division and Police Intelligence Department mounted an operation and monitored the activities of the syndicate in Singapore over the past few days.

Through intensive enquiries and round-the-clock investigation, the officers managed to identify their identities, their frequent haunts, networks and operating mode of the syndicate.

On Jan 6, working in close collaboration with a potential victim, the police arrested the two suspects in Bishan. The suspects, working in a pair, met up with the victim and attempted to sell him some fake gold ingots and old coins.

Police also raided the hotel rooms rented by the pair in Geylang and recovered 105 fake ingots, 4 laughing Buddha statues, some old notes and coins, 1 old will, several publication by clans and associations in Singapore and mobile phones which were seized as case exhibits.

The suspects are believed to be linked to the same syndicate in Dec 2011 where four men were arrested for a similar scam.

If convicted of cheating, they can be jailed up to 10 years, and can also face a fine.

[email protected]

 

[Vultan]

Re: Money Laundering Hub


Nigerian jailed 12 weeks for commercial sex with a minor

Published on Jan 10, 2013
By Elena Chong

A Nigerian businessman who paid $80 for the sexual services of a 16-year-old prostitute in Geylang was jailed for 12 weeks on Thursday.

Okeke Chidi Chidon, 36, pleaded guilty to commercial sex with a minor at a lodging house in Jalan Molek on June 22 last year. A district court heard that Okeke, who is married, approached the girl who was soliciting along Lorong 22 Geylang on June 22 last year and asked if she was a prostitute. He also asked how much she charged for her sexual services.

She quoted $100 and he bargained it down to $80. She took him to the lodging house nearby and paid $6 to rent the room. While they were there, a party of police officers conducted a check and took down the particulars of Okeke, who was released on the spot. The girl who did not have her particulars and was escorted to Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation where she was found to be below 18.

Okeke was arrested at Changi Airport on Sept 23. He could have been jailed for up to seven years and/or fined for commercial sex with a person below 18 years old.

 

[Vultan]

Re: He was killed for S$6, ez-link card and mobile phone


Ex-casino staff used disguise to trespass into MBS and steal betting chips

Published on Jan 15, 2013

A former casino employee wore make-up and disguised himself as an elderly man to get into his former workplace with the intention of stealing chips. -- ST PHOTO: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK

By Elena Chong

A former casino employee wore make-up and disguised himself as an elderly man to get into his former workplace with the intention of stealing chips. Ma Siu Hong, 26, a part-time hawker, hatched a plan to impersonate a dealer in the Marina Bay Sands casino as he was facing financial difficulties.

A district court heard that on Sept 24, he put on make-up, dusted white powder on his hair, wore a fake pair of spectacles and even drew fake wrinkles on his face to avoid being recognised by his former colleagues at MBS.

He managed to sneak in and changed into his old MBS casino staff uniform he had brought along. On Tuesday, he admitted to trespassing, impersonating a holder of a special employee licence by donning the staff uniform of MBS and performing the duties of a dealer.

District Judge Low Wee Ping sentenced him to six months' jail and fined him $5,000, saying the statement of facts read like a movie. Five other charges of impersonation and one of not paying the entry levy were taken into consideration.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Re:


Doctor jailed 4 months for forging $50,000 cheque

Published on Jan 16, 2013

A doctor who found a blank cheque and tried to use it to commit forgery was sentenced to four months' jail on Wednesday. -- ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN

By Khushwant Singh

A doctor who found a blank cheque and tried to use it to commit forgery was sentenced to four months' jail on Wednesday.

Lai Jenn Wuu, who had gambling debts, filled it in the cheque and went to cash it for $50,000 using the owner's identity card. But he was caught after a vigilant cashier noticed he did not look like the man in the picture.

The 28-year-old Malaysian, who lives in China, was here on a social visit when he stumbled across the wallet in the carpark of a Paterson Road condominium. It contained the identity card, several credit cards and the blank cheque.

After forging the owner's signature, he presented it to POSB cashier Angelia Ho Li Chen on Feb 13 last year. She asked him for identification because of the high amount. But when he handed over the identity card, she was not convinced he was the 36-year-old man in the photograph, Mr Nio Chiaren.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Vietnamese syndicate jailed for theft

Published on Jan 16, 2013
By Khushwant Singh

The mastermind of a group of Vietnamese nationals who stole items from shops has been jailed three years and nine months. Le Thi Duoc, 51, recruited seven other fellow Vietnamese nationals to accompany her here to steal. Three of her accomplices were jailed for three years each. The other four alleged accomplices, two men and two women, have not been dealt with.

A district court heard that the group arrive in Singapore on Nov 14 last year and moved into a lodging house in Upper Paya Lebar Road. There, Duoc briefed her syndicate members on how to distract the store assistants and block the view of the customers while stealing valuables from the shops.

The stealing spree started the very next day and on Nov 16, they struck at the Fauzy Gifts store in Lucky Plaza. Duoc and two accomplices kept staff members busy while Dang Thi Thu Duong, 19, stole the store assistant's handbag that was placed on the counter. The value of the stolen items came to more than $1,500. From Nov 15 to 18, the group stole cash, cellphones and cameras amounting to nearly $5,000.

In sentencing them, District Judge Low Wee Ping said: "It was sheer foolishness for all of you to think you can come here and commit the offences and get away with it."

 

[Vultan]

Re: Tax Free Hub?


Vietnamese student charged with molesting girl

Published on Jan 16, 2013
By Elena Chong

An undergraduate was charged on Wednesday with molesting a 19-year-old girl at a hostel toilet of Nanyang Technological University last September.

Nguyen Minh Dung, 19, a Vietnamese national, is alleged to have put his hand under the girl's skirt and touched her buttocks three times, saying that she had a "nice butt''.

The alleged offence took place in a male toilet of the hostel at about 4.30pm on Sept 14 last year.

Bail of $6,000 was offered. He will appear in court again on Feb 13. If convicted of outrage of modesty, he could be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or receive a combination of the sentences.