Frustrated after being unable to find employment, a repeat offender wreaked havoc in several supermarkets in Singapore, causing significant losses.
A 51-year-old repeat offender, Ng Peng Soon, was recently sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment on Friday (Dec 15), with an additional 210 days for breaching remission. Ng pleaded guilty to eight charges of theft and mischief, with six additional charges taken into consideration during the sentencing.
Having been in and out of jail since 1994, Ng has a history of similar offenses.
According to CNA, in 2021, he was sentenced to 34 months’ imprisonment for his criminal activities. After being released on remission in September 2022, Ng stole a box of toothpaste from a Watsons retailer and a bra from a supermarket in Tampines.
Between July 2023, Ng visited various supermarkets, including Giant supermarket at Suntec City, FairPrice Xtra outlet at Nex shopping mall, and an NTUC FairPrice outlet in Bedok North. In these locations, he tore open multiple packets of snacks using his hands, including candies, potato chips, and chocolates.
Additionally, he used a penknife to cut open packets of rice.
The supermarket staff members noticed the damaged goods during stock-taking and filed police reports. Ng rendered approximately 294 snack packets and 202 packets of rice unsellable, resulting in about S$5,800 in losses for the affected supermarkets. He was apprehended on July 20 and has been remanded since then.
During the court hearing, State Prosecuting Officer Ng Chee Wee emphasized that Ng’s breach of the conditional remission orders made him liable to enhanced sentences. Ng’s previous convictions, dating back to 1994, were also highlighted, with his most recent convictions in 2015, 2018, and 2021 for similar theft and mischief offenses.
The prosecution sought a jail term of around 18 months and requested the court’s discretion to apply further uplift as well as additional jail time for breaching remission.
In mitigation, Ng’s lawyer from the Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Ryan David Lim, argued for a maximum of 16 months’ imprisonment and an additional term for breaching remission.
Lim presented evidence from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), indicating that Ng had a borderline IQ of 77 and poor frustration tolerance, which led him to open food packaging as a coping mechanism.
“Mr Ng is 51 years old”.
“When he was young, he failed PSLE twice and studied up to Primary 8”, the ;awyer added before citing the report from IMH according to CNA report.
Lim added that Ng’s offenses were committed out of frustration after experiencing difficulty securing employment. He urged the court to consider that imposing increasingly hefty punishments was ineffective because Ng had shown no deterrence despite previous incarcerations. Lim revealed that IMH indicated that Ng was likely to reoffend and stated that Ng had been advised on seeking psychotherapy after his release.
Mr Lim argued against a higher jail term, saying that “simply put, a lesson conveyed by increasingly hefty punishment can only be learnt if the accused is capable of learning”.
“Mr Ng wants to get better,” concluded Mr Lim. “He doesn’t want to come before the court again.”
Ultimately, the judge declined the request for compensation from Ng, considering his lack of financial means. The judge emphasized that the IMH report did not establish a clear link between any mental illness or intellectual disability and Ng’s offenses. However, Ng’s sister assured the court that she would ensure that Ng attended his psychotherapy sessions and expressed Ng’s desire to reform and avoid further encounters with the legal system.
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