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Man sentenced to five years' jail for housebreaking
By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 28 July 2011 1723 hrs
SINGAPORE: Serial burglar Alexander Paul Danker did not just break into homes. He also broke into nine schools and a childcare centre where he managed to steal items such as computers and cameras.
The educational institutions include the National University of Singapore's School of Science and Technology, St Joseph's Institution International and the ISS International School.
Danker was sentenced on Thursday to five years' jail after pleading guilty to five counts of housebreaking. 18 other similar charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
40-year-old Danker, a former company supervisor, began his crime spree in 1997 and was only arrested in March this year. By then, he had already made off with cash and valuables worth more than S$42,000 in all.
His biggest haul took place on September 8 last year after he broke into Excelsior International School at Ulu Pandan Road and stole more than S$10,000 worth of valuables. Assistant Public Prosecutor Charlene Yang said that he entered the school at around 11pm that day by cutting a hole in a fence surrounding it.
Danker next struck at the NUS School of Science and Technology about a month later, where he smashed a glass panel to enter its Annex office in the wee hours of the morning. This time, Danker made off with five computers valued at more than S$9,000.
He also targeted twelve different flats - mainly located in Clementi. In most of the cases, Danker used a homemade device made up of a bamboo pole and a net to fish out mobile phones through his victims' bedroom windows.
Defence counsel John Abraham told the court that his client was the sole-breadwinner of his family. The lawyer added that Danker also has "relatively low intelligence".
DPP Yang, however, said that he was a serial offender stressing that his offences were premeditated and carefully planned. District Judge Low Wee Ping said that he agreed with prosecution before handing out his sentence to an expressionless Danker.
-CNA/ac
