Man gets jail, caning for setting fire to moneylender shop after break-in, stealing S$70,000 worth of goods from Courts

SINGAPORE — Intending to cover his tracks after breaking into a licensed moneylender shop early one morning to steal S$16,700, Tay Jun Jie started a fire that caused major damage and the evacuation of nearby residents.

The Singaporean also repeatedly broke into electronics and furniture retailer Courts, stealing items with a total value of S$69,849.40.

Tay, 33, was sentenced to five years' jail on Friday (Jan 12) after he pleaded guilty to committing housebreaking and committing mischief by fire.

As his prior conviction for committing house-trespass or housebreaking by night from 2015 has not been set aside, he was given another two strokes of the cane.

One other similar charge of housebreaking and another charge under the Computer Misuse Act were taken into consideration during sentencing.

BREAKING INTO STORE

The court heard that after the store manager of Courts in Toa Payoh found five items missing from his store, he went through closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and spotted Tay entering the premises after operating hours.

On at least 20 occasions between October and Nov 12 in 2022, he entered the store after hours by putting his fingers into a small opening between the sliding glass doors and prying them open.

He then used an Allen key to push up the locking pin at the bottom of another glass door before pushing it open.

The items he stole included Samsung Galaxy watches, Apple watches and accessories, JBL speakers and headphones, Nintendo Switch consoles and Xbox gaming consoles.

The combined value of the items he took was S$69,849.40.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Gabriel Lee said that they were sold to exporters in Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Tay was arrested on Nov 14 in 2022 after a police report was made by the store manager, and S$1,814 was recovered from him.

SETTING FIRE AFTER BREAK-IN

On May 22 last year at around 6am, while he was out on court bail, Tay left home and headed to 185 Toa Payoh Central. 

At IP Credit, a licensed moneylender, he used a screwdriver to open the padlock.

After entering the premises, he took a stack of cash he saw in a pouch on top of a safe deposit box.

He then walked to a photocopier and took out a piece of paper, crushed it into a ball, lit it with his lighter and left it on the floor to burn.

CCTV footage from a neighbouring unit captured Tay leaving IP Credit about 10 minutes after he arrived. Thick white smoke was also seen coming from the office.

During investigations, Tay said that he had set fire to IP Credit because he had broken in and taken a pouch with cash from the shop.

Not wanting the owners of IP credit to suspect a break-in, he had set the fire to create the impression that a power trip had occurred in the office.

As a result of the fire, the structure and property of IP Credit — including its floor, walls, ceiling, furniture, electrical appliances, office supplies and fixtures— sustained heat, smoke and water damage.

Its immediate neighbouring unit and the common areas also sustained similar damage.

The fire caused public commotion, too, with 12 people from all floors of a four-storey public housing block evacuated, DPP Lee said.

The fire caused a total of S$95,807.35 worth of damage.

Tay was arrested later that day and S$16,700 was found in his possession.

SPECIFIC DETERRENCE FOR REPEAT OFFENDER

In seeking between two years and eight months' jail and three years and two months' jail with two strokes of the cane, DPP Lee argued that Tay had received sentences for property-related offences since he was 19 years old.

"The accused has made clear that he had not been deterred by his previous sentences and significantly escalated his offending conduct," DPP Lee added.

He also said that Tay's culpability in his offences was high since he had started the fire deliberately in a housing estate within Toa Payoh.

In sentencing, District Judge Ong Luan Tze remarked that Tay's counsel had an uphill task as she had found very few mitigating factors in his case.

Not only were the offences serious and the amounts involved substantial but Tay also had past property offences, which did not deter him from escalating his behaviour and endangering lives, the judge said.

Anyone guilty of committing housebreaking could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined. 

For committing mischief by fire, an offender could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.