A teenager, who cannot be named due to the Children and Young Persons Act as he is under 18, was sentenced to 18 months’ probation today after admitting to using a found debit card for an extravagant spending spree with a friend.
The accomplice, also a minor, is set to plead guilty as well.
According to the report, the 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to one count of cheating with common intention, with three additional charges taken into consideration.
SPENT S$1800 ON SHOPPING
The court heard that the young offender discovered a DBS debit card at the EZ-Link machine at the Kadaloor LRT Station in Punggol on March 28, 2022.
Initially, he topped up his own EZ-Link card with S$20, and when that transaction proved successful, he added another S$50.
The boy didn’t stop there; he took a photo of the debit card and sent it to his 16-year-old friend, inviting him to join in on the illicit spending spree.
Over two days, March 28 and 29, 2022, the two teens went on a shopping spree, purchasing items including a S$459 Apple watch, a S$159 Pandora Jewelry bracelet, approximately S$179 worth of clothing from Cotton On, and various food and drinks.
In total, they made almost S$1,200 in unauthorized transactions over 18 occasions using the victim’s card according to the report.
What made matters worse was that the accused was already on probation at the time of these offenses and had also violated his curfew, a condition of his probation, 15 times between March and May of the current year. However, he did make full restitution to the card owner in July.
In addition to the 18 months’ probation, the court imposed further penalties on the teenager.
He is now required to perform 100 hours of community service and will be placed on an electronic monitoring scheme for six months or until he enlists for national service, whichever comes first.
His probation will be reviewed in six months, and his grandmother posted a S$5,000 bond to ensure his good behavior.
The punishment for cheating, as in this case, can lead to a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.
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