Le Viet Hoang, a 22-year-old Vietnamese university student, has been sentenced to 11 months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of housebreaking and theft. Hoang committed the crimes in order to finance his living expenses and send money back to his family in Vietnam.
Hoang was in Singapore for an internship with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) as an assistant researcher.
According to the reports, between June and July of this year, Hoang stole various laptops, tablets, and computer accessories from A*Star’s offices on levels nine and ten. The total value of the stolen items amounted to over S$29,523.
Hoang, who began his work on May 22nd this year at Innovis Building in the One-north district, had a desk located on level 9. He was known to frequently work late into the night.
Additionally, Hoang had the ability to access all three levels of A*Star’s offices. He soon discovered that, due to the absence of CCTV cameras, he could move around without being detected during nighttime. Hoang decided to steal items from A*Star’s offices on level nine on May 31st. His intention was to sell these items to cover his daily expenses and remit money to his family in Vietnam.
From June 1st to July 30th, Hoang would wait for everyone to leave the office before taking various laptops, tablets, and computer accessories home, the report added.
To gain access to locked sections of the office containing more valuable items, Hoang also learned how to pick locks and brought lock-picking tools with him. The total value of the items stolen from level nine amounted to at least S$2,998.88.
In addition, Hoang also ventured into AStar’s office on level ten and stole items worth approximately S$26,525.07. However, all the stolen items, except those sold by Hoang, were eventually recovered. Hoang fully compensated AStar for the sold items to make restitution.
Hoang had the intention of breaking into Apple’s offices in July of this year, as he believed he could sell their products at a higher price. However, he was concerned about the numerous CCTV cameras that would make it difficult for him to go unnoticed.
Upon learning of a building-wide power shutdown from 9 pm on July 15 to 7 am on July 16, Hoang saw an opportunity to break into Apple’s offices during this time when the CCTV cameras would be inactive.
Around 1 am on July 16, he utilized the emergency staircase to make his way from A*Star’s offices on level nine to Apple’s offices on level four. Hoang then proceeded to pick the lock on the door of the Apple office and stole various items such as iPads, iPhones, and Apple accessories. These stolen items had a total value of S$12,129.40 but were later recovered.
As his internship with A*Star was coming to an end, Hoang began to feel guilty for his actions and decided to return four iPads and some charging cables to Apple’s office on a Sunday evening.
Unfortunately, his entry triggered an alarm, alerting a security officer named Mr. Pusparaj Pantiyan. Mr. Pantiyan promptly contacted the police to report the break-in and headed to Apple’s office on level four.
During this time, Hoang was found hiding under a table with the four iPads and charging cables by Mr. Pantiyan. Subsequently, he was arrested.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Vishnu Menon argued for a 12-month jail sentence, highlighting the high degree of planning and premeditation involved in Hoang’s crimes.
“The accused taught himself how to pick locks as well, using tools he purchased for this very purpose, evincing a high level of commitment to his criminal enterprise,” DPP Menon said in court.
Hoang could have faced up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine for committing housebreaking to commit an offense, up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine for each theft charge, and up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine for committing housebreaking.
All the stolen items, except those sold by Hoang, were recovered, and full restitution was made to A*Star.
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