All for gambling: Window-climbing young man steals cash from upstair neighbors now faces 12 months in reform school

SINGAPORE: A young man was willing to do everything to fund his gambling ventures, risking his own life by breaking into his neighbour’s 13th-floor apartment through the kitchen window located on the floor below. The 18-year-old man did this at least five times in the past six months, stealing an accumulated amount totalling to $900. 

According to case details, the young man wanted to raise money for his gambling schemes and decided to steal from his neighbours in May 2023. Since the suspect was only 16-years-old when the crime happened, the media was not allowed to disclose the name of the suspect or the location of the crime. 

Due to this, the female homeowner admitted that her daughter was traumatised after the incident and that she was afraid to sleep alone for five months. 

“The house was quickly fitted with security cameras, and all the door locks were replaced… Now we even lock the windows that we never used to lock, just for an extra layer of security. If we had known earlier that it was the neighbour’s son, we would have definitely gone to confront him,” the homeowner declared. 

Aside from theft, the suspect also has a case of intentional assault from a ball game in October 2023. During that time, he and his friend had beaten up a 15-year-old boy, causing the victim to suffer from several injuries. 

During sentencing, the prosecution stated that the suspect had committed multiple crimes in a short period of time and that sentencing him to a juvenile detention centre for rehabilitation training was the most appropriate consequence. However, the suspect’s attorney pleaded for leniency and requested that the court consider probation and supervision to give the young man an opportunity to reform. 

For the final sentence, the court had given the suspect 12 months of rehabilitation training, given that he was still young and that he had a long life ahead of him. The judge hoped that the suspect would reflect on his past mistakes and use this rehabilitation as an opportunity to change and make the most out of his life. 

Other related news 

In similar news related to gambling, there was a recent report where a man pleaded guilty to one charge of obstructing justice and was sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment when he was suspected of gambling inside a coffee shop and refused to cooperate with police authorities when questioned. 

Moreover, he impulsively decided to smash his phone so that the authorities would not be able to examine it and he would not get caught. 

Read more about the news story here.