(Singapore, 12th) A Chinese man visiting Singapore for the first time developed criminal intentions after perceiving Singapore as a wealthy country. In just two days, he broke into two residences and stole branded jewelry worth over S$100,000 (about RM315,000).
According to reports, the Chinese defendant Huang Xiaozong (transliteration, 41 years old) faced three charges including housebreaking and trespassing. On the 10th, he pleaded guilty to two of the charges, while the remaining one will be taken into consideration during sentencing.
Investigations revealed that the defendant arrived in Singapore as a tourist on December 5 last year and stayed at a hotel in the Little India area. Visiting Singapore for the first time, he found the local surroundings beautiful and notably affluent, which sparked his criminal thoughts.
On December 6 last year, the defendant went to the Sentosa area to scout for targets. He noticed that a suite at Capella Hotel had its lights off and guessed that it was unoccupied, so he forcibly opened the balcony window and broke in to steal.
The defendant then ransacked the room and made off with a Chanel watch worth S$30,000, five rings collectively worth S$25,000, and a gold necklace valued at S$3,000. After the theft, he returned to his hotel.
The next evening, around 7 pm, the defendant went to Serangoon to look for another target. He noticed a bungalow that was completely dark, so he climbed over the iron gate and trespassed into the house, stealing jewelry worth S$47,750. This included a pair of Tiffany wedding rings, pendants, diamond earrings, a platinum necklace, a silver bracelet, and a gold necklace.
Emboldened by his success, the defendant targeted another property. However, just as he climbed over the iron gate and entered the premises, he ran into the household’s maid. Feeling guilty, he fled in a panic.
The owner of the bungalow, whose wedding rings were stolen, returned home later that evening to find the dressing table in disarray and realized that a large amount of valuable jewelry was missing, so they called the police.
The police eventually found the defendant at a hotel on Kampong Bahru Road, arrested him on the spot, and recovered all the stolen jewelry.
As the defendant had just appointed a lawyer, who stated needing time to prepare mitigation pleas, the judge adjourned the case to August 14 for sentencing.