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A 15-year-old boy allegedly robbed another person at knifepoint and made off with S$827 and cigarettes worth S$181.20 in the early hours of Sep. 18.

The boy was arrested 10 hours later on the same day for his suspected involvement in a case of armed robbery.

Happened at Tampines Central convenience store

The Singapore Police Force said on Sep. 19 that they were alerted to the incident at a convenience store along Tampines Central at 5:36am the day before.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the boy had allegedly robbed the victim with a knife, demanding cash amounting to S$827 and cigarettes valued at S$181.20.

Will be charged on Sep. 20, 2023

The boy was identified through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

He was arrested by Bedok Police Division officers.

The stolen cigarettes and cash amounting to S$30 were subsequently recovered.

The boy will be charged with armed robbery on Sep. 20, 2023.

The offence of robbery carries an imprisonment term of between three to 14 years, and at least 12 strokes of the cane.

​The Ministry of Manpower is investigating two separate deaths that occurred at Land Transport Authority worksites in the past week.

The first accident happened on Sep. 15 at around 1am.

A 45-year-old Indian national construction worker died after a motorcycle collided with him on the Pan-Island Expressway towards Tuas.

The worker, who was employed by Ley Choon Constructions and Engineering, was performing traffic controller duties for road surfacing works.

Both he and the motorcyclist were pronounced dead at the scene by Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel.

The second accident occurred on Sep. 16 at around 10:45pm.

The victim was a 41-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker.

He was struck by a pallet of gas cylinders during a lifting operation at a worksite on Cavenagh Road.

The worksite was part of the North-South Corridor project.

The worker succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

He was employed by Royale Construction.

MOM has stopped all lifting operations at this Cavenagh Road worksite while investigations are ongoing.

Meanwhile, LTA is working with the contractors to assist the families of the deceased and assisting MOM with its investigations.

SINGAPORE – A fish soup stall owner used a wooden pole to attack a rival hawker who sold a similar dish at the same food centre, causing fractures to the victim’s skull and right wrist as well bleeding in his brain.

Peck Chuan Ann, 70, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Mr Punnataro Wee, 51, who received 75 days of hospitalisation leave.

The prosecution said that Mr Wee is likely to suffer from a permanent impairment of his right wrist.

At the time of the offence, Peck owned a fish soup staff at Tanglin Halt Food Centre in Commonwealth Drive, while Mr Wee ran another stall selling a similar product at the eatery.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Louis Ngia said that Peck saw the younger man as his rival and the pair had earlier disagreements.

On April 8, 2022, at around 7am, Mr Wee walked past Peck at the food centre and said something that the prosecutor did not disclose.

About 10 minutes later, as Mr Wee was preparing to open his stall for business, Peck approached him from behind and used a wooden pole around 70cm long, which had a protruding nail, to repeatedly strike his head.

DPP Ngia said: “The victim’s wife, who was assisting to prepare for the stall’s opening... tried to stop the accused. The accused attempted to strike her with the wooden pole as well, but she managed to grab hold of the pole.

“Eventually, the victim and his wife managed to disarm the accused. After a scuffle, the accused ran away.”

The police were alerted shortly before 7.15am that day and Mr Wee was rushed to the National University Hospital.

Peck later surrendered himself at a police station, upon his daughter’s advice.

On Tuesday, the DPP asked for him to be given between 18 and 22 months’ jail, adding: “The fracture to (Mr Wee’s) skull, an extremely vulnerable part of the body, was accompanied by a bleeding of his brain. This was without doubt a very serious injury.”

​Defence lawyer Sarbrinder Singh from Sanders Law pleaded for Peck to be sentenced to between nine months and a year in jail.

Mr Singh said that his client was suffering from adjustment disorder with depressed mode at the time of the attack and is no longer operating his stall.

The lawyer also said that Mr Wee had provoked Peck prior to the offence.

Peck is expected to be sentenced on Oct 5.

SINGAPORE – Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim Chih Chiang was on Wednesday handed one more charge of insulting a woman’s modesty, involving a fifth alleged victim.

Lim, 59, is now accused of six counts of insulting a woman’s modesty and one count of molestation.

He was the executive director of record label Hype Records when he allegedly committed the offences.

His latest charge relates to an incident at around 7pm, on or around July 25, 2012, when he was at the company’s business address in Henderson Road. On this occasion, he allegedly uttered the words to a woman: “Are you a virgin... What if I have sex with you right now?”

He was said to be speaking to her about a career in music at the time.

Lim’s pre-trial conference will be on Friday.

Separately, between 1998 and 1999, while at his home, he purportedly played his first alleged victim a porn video which showed a woman engaging in sex with multiple men.

​During the same period, at the Hype Records office, he allegedly said to the same woman that she was sexually inexperienced and he could help her with this.

Between 1999 and 2002 at Hype Records, he purportedly asked a second alleged victim whether she was a virgin, how she could write deeper songs if she was sexually inexperienced, whether he could be her first sex partner, and how she pleasured herself sexually.

During that period, he also allegedly asked her to write out her sexual fantasies as homework and offered himself as a sexual partner to fulfil her sexual fantasies.

In 2013, at Hype Records, he allegedly told a third person that if she could have sex for nothing, why not have sex for something. He also allegedly made the gesture of unbuckling his belt and removing his belt strap.

Lim was first charged on March 20 with one count of molestation.

He is accused of molesting a 25-year-old woman by touching her breast on Nov 23, 2021, at the Hype Records office.

For each count of insulting a woman’s modesty, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined.

And for molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined or caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.

Lim cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old.

SINGAPORE – A scan of a package at Changi Airfreight Centre on Aug 3 foiled an attempt to smuggle a leopard gecko.

Anomalies detected in scanned images of the package led to the discovery, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The case has been referred to the National Parks Board (NParks) for investigation and the reptile is under the care of NParks’ Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation.

The leopard gecko, which comes in an array of colours and patterns, is native to dry and semi-desert areas in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, north-west India and Nepal.

It is not listed as an endangered species, and in some countries is considered a popular beginner’s reptile. The San Diego Zoo, for instance, says “these hardy little reptiles have been kept and bred as pets for more than 30 years”.

However, ICA reminded the Singapore public that they should not bring in wildlife illegally, purchase wildlife or keep them as pets.

“Illegal trade in wildlife threatens biodiversity and disrupts ecosystems around the world and can also pose serious health risks, as it evades biosecurity and sanitary controls,” said the ICA in a Facebook post.

​The poor conditions and manner under which animals are smuggled in could cause them unnecessary suffering and even lead to death, it added. 

NParks works closely with ICA on strict import controls to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, safeguard the health and welfare of animals, and prevent the introduction of exotic diseases into Singapore.

Under the Wildlife Act, offenders caught importing wildlife without approval could be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.

Members of the public can contact NParks at cites@nparks.gov.sg if they spot incidents of illegal wildlife trade. Information shared will be kept confidential.

SINGAPORE – A cleaner who was found to have Covid-19 in October 2021 deliberately coughed in the direction of two colleagues – one of whom had kidney issues and had undergone dialysis.

Tamilselvam Ramaiya later told investigators that he had coughed at them as a “joke”, but the prosecution stressed on Monday that the issue was no laughing matter.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana also said that none of Tamilselvam’s colleagues contracted Covid-19 as a result of his actions.

She added that his antics took place at a time when Singapore was experiencing a fresh surge of Covid-19 cases, which necessitated the tightening of restrictions under the Stabilisation Phase from Sept 27 to Oct 24, 2021.

The 64-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to two weeks’ jail on Monday after he pleaded guilty to an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.

Tamilselvam, who was working as a cleaner for investment holding firm Leong Hup Singapore at the time, had a runny nose when he reported for work at its logistics office in Senoko Way on Oct 18, 2021, morning.

An assistant logistics manager told him to take an antigen rapid test (ART), and when the result came back positive, told Tamilselvam to go home.

The manager then told the two colleagues – a 40-year-old male logistics supervisor and a 56-year-old female clerk with heart and kidney issues – about the cleaner’s condition.

But instead of heading home immediately, Tamilselvam went to an office to look for the assistant logistics manager.

The two victims were in the office, an enclosed air-conditioned room, when Tamilselvam and a 33-year-old driver, who was unaware of the older man’s condition, entered at around 10.30am.

The logistics supervisor told the driver not to go near Tamilselvam, and told the cleaner to leave the premises.

The DPP said: “The accused, who was initially wearing his mask, walked towards the office door and exited the office. However, he then opened the office door and coughed into the office with his mask on. The accused did this twice, before the (logistics supervisor) closed the office door with his leg.”

Tamilselvam opened the office door again soon after.

He lowered his mask to expose his nose and mouth, and coughed into the office a third time before leaving.

The clerk was seated in the office next to a window at the time.

​Tamilselvam opened the window from the outside and coughed once in her direction with his mask on while he was about an arm’s length from her.

His antics alarmed the two colleagues, and the assistant logistics manager lodged a police report later that day.

On Monday, DPP Sruthi pressed for him to be given three to four weeks’ jail, adding: “The accused’s actions... reflect a wanton disregard for the safety of his colleagues.”

“The (female) victim, in particular, was a dialysis patient who suffered from both cardiac and renal issues. She was therefore particularly alarmed by the accused’s actions and quickly administered an ART on herself after the accused coughed in her direction,” she added.

Defence lawyer Lee Wei Yung, however, pleaded for Tamilselvam to be given a fine.

The lawyer also said that if the court were to impose a jail sentence, his client should be given one that is shorter than that sought by the prosecutor.

Mr Lee stressed that his client has a heart condition and did not commit the offence out of malice.

SINGAPORE — A man who initially helped a 93-year-old wheelchair-bound woman after she fell on the ground went on to steal her gold bracelet after spotting it around her right wrist.

Kee Chin Hwee, 51, pleaded guilty to a theft charge and was sentenced to 10 weeks' jail on Monday (Sept 18).

Shortly before the theft, the elderly woman's Indonesian domestic helper, Nisah Susila Wati, 27, was pushing the wheelchair in Yishun Central at around 2pm on April 14 when one of its wheels went off the pavement onto a grass patch.

State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Mohd Nasri Haron said that Madam Wang Peng Chui fell face first onto the pavement and Nisah shouted for help when she tried but failed to lift her up.

Kee was on the opposite side of a road when he heard the maid's cries.

He came forward to see what was going on and helped Madam Wang back onto the wheelchair with the help of two other passers-by.

Noticing that the victim had some injuries to her face, Nisah pushed her to a nearby joint testing and vaccination centre to rest.

Kee, who followed the pair into the centre, then saw that the elderly woman was wearing a gold bracelet worth around $450.

The SPO said: "In the centre, the accused told Nisah to go to a nearby shop to buy some water and ointment for the victim's facial injuries.

"He added that if she did not do so, she would run the risk of getting scolded by her employer. He offered to look after the victim while Nisah did so."

Feeling scared, the maid left Madam Wang with Kee and went to a nearby shop.

As soon as Nisah was out of sight, he held the victim's right wrist and unhooked the bracelet.

Madam Wang asked him not to take it away, but he ignored her. He then placed the bracelet into his pouch and left.

Nisah returned soon after and the victim told her about what had happened.

The maid told her employer about the theft and the police were alerted shortly before 3pm that day.

​Officers managed to establish Kee's identity, and he was arrested at his home on April 15.

The bracelet was also seized from his possession.

A 31-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 40 years in jail and the maximum of 24 strokes of caning on Sep. 18, 2023, for sexually assaulting six young boys over eight years, from 2012 to 2020.

The youngest boy was only six at the time of the offences, and the oldest was 13.

Three of the victims were his cousins' children.

The prosecution described the case as "among the worst cases of paedophilic sexual abuse that has come before the courts".

The man was not named due to a gag order protecting the victims' identities.

Soccer prey

The man became acquainted with two of his earlier victims when he played soccer with them about 10 years ago.

In 2013, he followed one of them, then 11, into a public toilet.

While the boy relieved himself, the man sexually assaulted him.

The man also lured the other victim, whom he saw as a "godbrother", to a staircase landing.

This, too, ended with the victim, who was then 10, being sexually assaulted.

The man's other victims were found closer to home.

Stayed over with relatives

In 2019, the man stayed over at his aunt's apartment in Woodlands, where one of his cousin's then nine-year-old sons was lodged.

The boy was said to have shared a close relationship with the man.

One night, the man molested the boy while sleeping with the victim's brother in the living room.

Sometime in August 2020, the man occasionally stayed over at another cousin's place.

Knowing that the man's mother was worried about her son's employment, this cousin, who delivered parcels for a living, had offered the man a job as his assistant for S$500 monthly.

Within a month of him accepting this new job, the man made his move on this cousin's son.

Targeted nephews

The man would sexually abuse his nephew, then six years old, while distracting the boy with handphone games.

Over the next three months, this sexual abuse escalated to him cajoling the boy and his then 8-year-old stepbrother to perform sexual acts on each other.

He also took away the younger boy's handphone game as a means of persuading him to comply with his requests.

On the morning of Oct. 22, 2020, the man's actions were brought to light when his own mother caught him lying half-clothed with the younger boy.

His mother had been staying over at the apartment, and was sleeping on the living room sofa while the man slept with the boy on a mattress next to her.

Diagnosed with paedophilic disorder

The 31-year-old faced a total of 54 charges in court.

The prosecution stated that "the accused pose[d] a grave danger to society", citing that the man had been diagnosed with paedophilic disorder, and that the Institute of Mental Health deemed him a “clear danger to young boys”.

SINGAPORE – A man was charged with money laundering on Tuesday after he allegedly received $150,000 in cash, believed to be proceeds from a scam.

Filipino Mortel Virgilio Jr Marcial, 41, allegedly committed the offence on Sept 7.

Court documents stated that Marcial allegedly received the cash from one Choo Swee Lee at a Bayshore Road condominium, near Upper East Coast Road.

In a statement, police said officers had received a report that a victim was purportedly cheated by an unknown man whom she got to know via social media.

The victim withdrew large sums of cash on different dates, and on one occasion handed about $150,000 to a man.

Through extensive investigations, officers from the Central Police Division arrested Marcial on Sunday, within five hours of the report being made.

He is said to be involved in an arrangement with a man known only as Lucas.

​Police did not disclose details about the scam.

A police spokesperson said that several items Marcial used to allegedly commit the crime were also seized as case exhibits.

“The police take a serious stance against any person involved in the laundering of proceeds of crime, and offenders will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law,” said the spokesperson.

“To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should reject requests from others to register companies, open bank accounts or receive money, as you may be held accountable if they are used for criminal activities.”

Marcial will be remanded at the Central Police Division. His case has been adjourned to next Tuesday.

For dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000.

SINGAPORE – After taking drugs, a man fatally slapped his two-year-old daughter, then he and his wife burned the body in a metal pot to destroy the evidence.

They put the burnt remains in a cardboard box, sealed it with masking tape and cling wrap, before putting the box under the kitchen stove.

Over the years, they lied to their family and the authorities about the girl’s whereabouts.

More than five years later, in 2019, the woman’s younger brother, who had become increasingly curious about the contents of the box, opened it, despite her warning him not to touch it.

He showed his find to the woman’s friends, who called the police because they felt uneasy with what they saw.

On Tuesday, the girl’s father, now 35, was sentenced to a total of 21½ years’ jail and 18 strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to a charge of culpable homicide for causing her death by slapping her and failing to provide her with medical aid.

He also pleaded guilty to three other charges – for ill-treating his six-year-old stepson, rioting and consumption of methamphetamine.

​Five other charges were taken into consideration.

High Court judge Aedit Abdullah described the man’s acts as callous, vicious and heinous.

Justice Abdullah also lifted a gag order on the girl’s given name – Umaisyah.

“It is important that we remember her by her name,” he said, noting that she was robbed of any opportunity of growing up and leading a fulfilling life.

“Umaisyah deserves so much more,” the judge added.

Details such as the names of the couple and the address of the flat, which could lead to the identification of the surviving children, cannot be published.

The couple were initially charged with murder.

On March 2, 2021, the woman was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for her murder charge.

This means she can still be prosecuted for the offence later, depending on the evidence that emerges.