Man gets 1 year imprisonment for stealing luxury watches, gold necklaces, and phones from seven drunk, sleeping men

SINGAPORE: A man took advantage of drunk men who were asleep, taking this as an opportunity to steal Rolex watches, gold necklaces, and mobile phones. As reported by Shin Min Daily News, a 45-year-old Malaysian is the suspect in the crime, and five out of seven victims appeared in court to seek compensation.

Case details revealed that the first incident happened in June this year, when a 44-year-old victim had been drinking with his friends. After their gathering, he waited for a taxi at a nearby bus stop, but eventually fell asleep due to intoxication. 

At around 1:46 AM, the suspect was loitering around the bus stop and noticed that the man was wearing a Rolex watch. After making sure that no one was around, he decided to steal the watch, amounting to $11,000. When the victim reported the incident to the police, the authorities identified the suspect through CCTV footage, and he was arrested. Unfortunately, the watch had not been recovered since the man had already pawned it for cash. 

After being released on bail, the suspect committed another crime in July. This time, a 32-year-old Indian man was sleeping on a stone bench near a business centre when the suspect took the opportunity to steal a gold necklace and pendant amounting to more than $6,000. 

Additionally, a 48-year-old man was also found drunk outside a bar on Serangoon Road, and the suspect stole an iPhone 16 Max worth $1,500 from the man’s pocket. The victim then reviewed the surveillance camera footage once again, and the suspect was arrested in August. 

The suspect was also involved in four other theft cases between June and August, in which he stole a Hermes bracelet, a mobile phone, and cash, and even attempted to steal a Rolex watch worth approximately $19,000. 

Due to his crimes, the suspect recently pleaded guilty to three counts of theft, and four other similar charges were submitted to the judge for consideration. Five victims appeared in court, hoping to recover their stolen property or receive compensation. However, the judge stated that the suspect was unable to make compensation. The suspect was sentenced to one year's imprisonment. 

In separate news, there was a report where a man stole 10 donation boxes from a coffee shop after an employee forgot to put them inside the store. 

The suspect was able to use more than $10,000 of the stolen money to pay off his drug debts, resulting in four months and four weeks’ imprisonment. 

Read more about the news story here.