The Singapore Government has agreed to the UK’s request that 28-year-old Canadian David Roach be spared from corporal punishment if he is found guilty. Roach may be extradited to Singapore to face the law after he allegedly stole S$30,000 from a Standard Chartered bank branch in Holland Village in July 2016.
Singapore is seeking Roach’s extradition so he could be charged with one count of robbery and one count of money laundering in court. He could be charged a maximum jail term of 10 years for each of these offences.
In addition to imprisonment, anyone found guilty of robbery in Singapore “shall also be punished with caning with not less than six strokes” if the crime was committed between 7am and 7pm, according to the Penal Code.
Roach, however, will escape this punishment if he is extradited to Singapore.
The Ministry of Home Affairs revealed in a press statement yesterday:
“The Singapore Government is working with UK authorities on the extradition of David James Roach to Singapore. As part of the extradition proceedings, the UK Government has requested an assurance that if Roach were to be found guilty by a Singapore Court of robbery, the sentence of corporal punishment will not be carried out.
“The Singapore Government has agreed to the UK authorities’ request. UK extradition laws prohibit UK from extraditing Roach to Singapore in the absence of such an assurance. Roach’s extradition is being sought on one count of robbery under s 392 of the Penal Code and one count of money laundering under s 47(1)(b) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Both offences carry maximum imprisonment terms of 10 years.
“The provision of the assurance is being done to try and ensure that Roach does not escape justice, and does not affect the general position taken by Singapore on corporal punishment. The UK Courts will decide whether to extradite Roach.”
Roach had fled to Thailand, following the infamous robbery, where he was jailed for one year and two months for failing to declare the large amount of money. Singapore asked Thai authorities to extradite Roach to Singapore but the Thai government declined and decided to deport Roach to his home country of Canada.
Roach was detained by officers from the Metropolitan Police Extradition Unit on Jan 11 at London’s Heathrow Airport while he was en route to Canada.
Netizens were incensed that Singapore has agreed to the UK’s request, once news of the extradition request acceptance broke. Several netizens added that such a request from another country would not have been entertained if the nation’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was still at the helm of the country:
Government bias..look at colour.
Next election..I would not be stupid again.
For fuck… bring him back, waste tax payers money while he is in jail… send him back U.K…. might as well give him a S pass or PR
The whole episode only made Singapore look stupid. The ease of robbery, the ease of escape, the ease of local law being subjugated by a declining foreign power. The incompetence of government is glaring.
Why bring him over just to feed him in prison? Let the stupid Brits government keep the problem.
Singaporeans have been made second class citizens by the useless PAP. Even a foreign crook is treated better.
I have already gave up on the law system we had.
When Singaopre whacked the buttocks of some Europeans for train vandalism, MRT problems and breakdowns have been escalating. Call it a jinx but don’t forget these European countries, which consider such penalty as barbaric, have the technologies for hacking. So do learn a lesson or two before more such problems beset.
WTF logic is this? Train keep breaking down is due to overpopulation. What does the caning of micheal faye have to do with trains breakdown?
So if going by this logic,our banks is going to lose more money? Can comment with brains a not?
Please equip yourself with more facts and then come back. This isn’t about Michael Fay.
Lol. You are the one who spew bullshit 1st. What good does they have to hack our train system? Please show some facts 1st before you spew bullshit.
You people are very cruel leh!
We don’t call him Guniang for no reason. Unlike his Father who dared to stand up against US prez during Michael Fay’s episode, this epic failure only hides behind his Husband and give in to foreigners’ demands!
Since he has committed an offence under the penal code, instead of corporal punishment, he shall be sentenced with the castration of some vital parts instead.
Foreign talents committed crime with foreign power backing ? The banana republic constitution laws can null under foreign regime pressure ?
Netizens who are not even legal train. Talk with saliva coming down. Issue is : if we do not man him at whatever threshold, everyone who check out the countries we do not have extradition and run there.
Bringing him in is irrelevant now, Pinky already said Singapore is for everyone. Many crooks will still check out this place.
So now foreigners who break law and run know a loophole or Govt weakness.
Bodoh, if they dont come to that agreement, this fucker wouldve escape singapore’s justice all together. He is at UK, not in SG. SG wants him here, you think we can just take him like that is it? No brain one ah all these fuckers? Even LKY cant do this. If these dick already here and we want to cane him and UK or canada ask not to, you think we would listen meh? Its called a deal. We pass him to you but you dont whack him. If you dont take that deal, we dont pass him to you and you get no justice at all.
Please don’t think that the actions of the British goverment reflect the beliefs or feelings of the British people, particularly the Brits living in Singapore.
Cane him and jail him!
Most of the comments here only show a poor if not total lack of understanding of the issue at hand. The UK is against the corporal punishment of caning and will not allow Roach’s extradition otherwise. What is Singapore to do — invade the UK? declare war?
Even if Roach escapes the caning, he’d better wear a chastity belt in prison, as there is no assurance of escape from other forms of corporal punishment.
Who are these people to speak on behalf of lky?
Caning is torturing and violated human rights… why must we stand by our founding prime minister instead of our own humanity?
wait till something bad happens to your loved ones, then see if you sing the same song.
Have no standards. A disgrace to LKY. So sorry for LKY cos S’pore being destroying n sinking by his own son.
How this cock-roach slip through our watertight immigration to escape to thailand is, to me, a big question mark.
Did he have help? Or was he allowed to “slip” because bapok did not, or never had the balls to face up to white shit?
Could it be that had he not been caught by the Thai authorities, this whole episode would have been another speck of dust swept under the carpet?
Or is it another: natives pay full price, foreigners gets discount, gets it free or even were paid to have it.
When people get fat salaries and sleep on their jobs without penalty and accountability, paika paichiu also can escape, you forgotten mas selamat so soon already??
Just look at the failing trains and HDB lifts, which job is harder? To fix or to catch?
When people become lazy, anything will be difficult.
Not about lky..It is what a leader would do.. Obviously pap is not … They are just cheeky bastards who want to save face.
More will be coming here to rob our banks.
Maybe he don’t use weapon
If he is arrested in Singapore, the law takes its course. But he is arrested in UK, half a loaf is better than none; otherwise he is released and nothing we can do.
There is one country in the world which hands out equal punishment to foreigners and citizens alike, and that is North Korea, as can be seen when they sentenced American tourist Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labor for stealing a propaganda poster.
Time to move on. Dun stuck in the past.
Pity
Is true and always true once LKY not in command
Singapore had one set of law but two applications, harsh treatment for local and special treatment for foreigner
This is even sadder than the caning issue.
Brain washed population still exists in numbers.