http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_412771.html
Jail and cane me: Teen
By Khushwant Singh
Danny Koh said he sincerely believed a jail term and caning could finally reform him. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
WHILE most offenders appeal in the hope of lowering their sentences, 18-year-old Danny Koh Jia Gui asked an appeal judge to be jailed and caned instead of having to undergo reformative training.
'I believe a harsher sentence can prevent me from re-offending,' he said on Monday.
Justice Chao Hick Tin said the request to be caned was 'almost sadistic'.
'Must you have some marks on your bottom to remind you to change your ways?' asked the judge.
Koh replied that every time he had appeared in court, he promised to change but returned to crime.
He said he sincerely believed a jail term and caning could do the trick.
The court heard that the teenager had been in trouble with the law since he was 12 years old.
Since October 2003, Koh was been placed under probation, placed in a juvenile home and the Singapore Boys' Home for theft, robbery and rioting.
He also did a stint at the Reformative Training Center (RTC) for robbery and drug offences in 2007.
On his release, Koh went to work as a runner for an illegal moneylender.
In July, he pleaded guilty to harassing debtors by splashing paint on their front doors and defacing walls near their homes.
He also committed traffic offences that included riding a motorcycle without a licence and insurance.
He was ordered to undergo another round of reformative training in July and he appealed.
Offenders sent to RTC serve a minimum of 1 1/2 years to a maximum of three years
Asked if he was angling for a shorter detention period in prison, Koh admitted that it had crossed his mind.
As the court's priority was the rehabilitation of young offenders, Justice Chao said that he must dismiss the appeal and urged Koh to make full use of his last chance to stay out of prison.
Jail and cane me: Teen
By Khushwant Singh
Danny Koh said he sincerely believed a jail term and caning could finally reform him. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
WHILE most offenders appeal in the hope of lowering their sentences, 18-year-old Danny Koh Jia Gui asked an appeal judge to be jailed and caned instead of having to undergo reformative training.
'I believe a harsher sentence can prevent me from re-offending,' he said on Monday.
Justice Chao Hick Tin said the request to be caned was 'almost sadistic'.
'Must you have some marks on your bottom to remind you to change your ways?' asked the judge.
Koh replied that every time he had appeared in court, he promised to change but returned to crime.
He said he sincerely believed a jail term and caning could do the trick.
The court heard that the teenager had been in trouble with the law since he was 12 years old.
Since October 2003, Koh was been placed under probation, placed in a juvenile home and the Singapore Boys' Home for theft, robbery and rioting.
He also did a stint at the Reformative Training Center (RTC) for robbery and drug offences in 2007.
On his release, Koh went to work as a runner for an illegal moneylender.
In July, he pleaded guilty to harassing debtors by splashing paint on their front doors and defacing walls near their homes.
He also committed traffic offences that included riding a motorcycle without a licence and insurance.
He was ordered to undergo another round of reformative training in July and he appealed.
Offenders sent to RTC serve a minimum of 1 1/2 years to a maximum of three years
Asked if he was angling for a shorter detention period in prison, Koh admitted that it had crossed his mind.
As the court's priority was the rehabilitation of young offenders, Justice Chao said that he must dismiss the appeal and urged Koh to make full use of his last chance to stay out of prison.
