A 41-year-old Singaporean man has gone on trial after allegedly snatching a bag of McDonald’s food from a brother and sister outside Sun Plaza in the early hours of May 18, 2025.
According to Channel News Asia, Mohammad Hisyam Basheer was charged with snatch theft and appeared in court on Monday (Feb 23). He is accused of using criminal force against 20-year-old Christopher Joseph Peter when he allegedly grabbed a bag containing burgers and nuggets worth S$21 before cycling away.
Incident Near McDonald’s at Sun Plaza, Sembawang
The incident took place at about 1.45am near the McDonald’s outlet at Sun Plaza in Sembawang.
According to court proceedings, Mr Peter had gone to the McDonald’s branch with his sister for a late-night meal.
As their family home in Yew Tee was under renovation, he was staying temporarily elsewhere nearby.
Before leaving the restaurant, the siblings called their mother to ask if she wanted anything. They purchased two cheeseburgers for her and placed leftover nuggets in the same bag.
As they were walking away, the situation escalated abruptly.
“Suddenly, this guy comes toward us and said, ‘I want burger’,” Mr Peter testified in court.
“He took the bag from my hand and it tore. He bent down slightly, picked up the McDonald’s bag (and) said ‘f*** off’ before cycling away.”
Mr Peter described the alleged thief as looking “determined,” adding that everything happened so quickly that he had little time to react.
“I was just like, what is happening? Is this real?” he said.
“My sister and I were just shocked by the whole thing, so we just … we were talking about what we should do, should we call the police, should we tell our mum first?“ I can’t remember if we called our mum first or the police first, but we definitely did both.
Then we waited in McDonald’s for the police to arrive,” he added.
What Was in the Stolen Bag
Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang asked Mr Peter what he had ordered that night, according to CNA.
“We had 20-piece nuggets. And I think I also got a McChicken burger meal,” he replied.
He estimated that the cheeseburgers cost about S$7, while the nuggets were between S$10 and S$14, though he could not recall whether they were on promotion
Sister Describes Confusion and Shock
Mr Peter’s sister also took the stand, describing how a man cycled towards them before getting off his bicycle and saying, “I want burger”.
“I was extremely confused and stunned. I didn’t understand what was going on,” she testified.
Footage of the incident was played in court.
However, the cyclist appeared darkened in the video and could not be clearly identified.
When asked whether the cyclist was Hisyam, Ms Peter initially said she was unsure. After the judge requested that Hisyam remove his mask, she responded: “Maybe?”
Hisyam, who has been remanded for almost nine months, refused to engage verbally in court on Monday.
The hearing began with an interpreter informing the court that Hisyam wanted to change his spoken language to Arabic, despite previously using English and Malay in earlier sessions.
Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh asked whether he understood English. Hisyam, masked and dressed in a prison jumpsuit, stood motionless in the dock.
After attempting several times to elicit a response, the judge said: “From what I observe, he obviously understands English and/or Malay.”
The trial proceeded in English.
The prosecution indicated that it would be extending a plead-guilty offer to Hisyam, which would allow him to be released “quite soon” given the length of his remand.
However, when the interpreter read the charge to him, Hisyam covered his face with his mask.
When asked by the judge whether he intended to plead guilty or claim trial, he remained silent before slowly shrugging his shoulders.
If convicted of snatch theft, Hisyam faces a jail term of between one and seven years and caning under Singapore law.
He also has two additional charges that have been stood down for the time being.
These relate to a separate incident at Burger King in Changi Airport Terminal 1 in May 2025, where he is accused of throwing a burger towards the kitchen area, pushing utensils and condiments off the counter, and using vulgarities.
The trial is ongoing.
Image via Google Maps
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