Singapore man sentenced to jail for stealing durians worth nearly $200

The man, Sew Swee Chai, was sentenced last Monday after pleading guilty to both charges, which also included taking three religious amulets at Fu Lu Shou Complex in the Rochor area, Channel News Asia reported.

According to court documents, on the night of Sep. 6, 2024, Sew was seen outside a closed fruit stall at Block 276, Bukit Batok East Avenue 4.

Craving durian, he spent several minutes surveying the stall before trying to disable its security cameras by unplugging power plugs. He then walked off with the durians in a plastic bag.

The next morning, a stall assistant noticed the missing fruits and reviewed CCTV footage, which captured the theft. It turned out Sew had shut off the refrigerators instead.

The assistant filed a report and Sew was later identified and traced by police.

About two weeks later, he struck again at Fu Lu Shou Complex. He slipped two amulets into his pocket and was attempting to steal a third when the shop owner caught him and alerted the police, who arrested Sew, according to Mothership.

During Monday’s hearing, prosecutors told the court that Sew was a repeat offender who had previously served jail terms for burglary and theft, as reported by Shin Min Daily News.

In mitigation, his lawyer said Sew had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Sew also testified that he had not been taking his prescribed medication when the thefts occurred.

His lawyer requested leniency, noting that Sew is now undergoing treatment and has already compensated for the stolen items.

The court sentenced him to nine weeks in jail but allowed a deferral as his 80-year-old mother had recently been diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer and he needed time for hospital follow-ups.

Sew is scheduled to begin serving his sentence on Oct. 13.