Corrective training for man who stole from supermarket shoppers
While his victims were distracted, Goh Swee Tian would take their handbags, in supermarkets.
Goh, 52, would then use the credit cards found in these bags to buy expensive items and resell them.
Court documents revealed that in January last year, one of his victims was shopping at FairPrice Finest in Tiong Bahru Plaza and had left her shopping basket on the floor, with her handbag in it, and moved away.
When she returned, her handbag was gone. Goh had taken the handbag, which contained her wallet, phone, and other valuables, worth about $1,400 in all.
He used her credit card to buy a gold bracelet worth about $3,200 later that day and sold it for $755.
He struck again in April last year, at Giant supermarket at VivoCity.
A woman had left her Hermes handbag in her shopping trolley and had gone looking for some items.
When she returned, her handbag was missing. The total value was about $2,500.
Goh used the credit card inside to buy an iPhone X worth about $1,900.
He continued to steal valuables from unsuspecting shoppers in supermarkets several more times.
In November 2017, he found a wallet in a multi-storey car park.
He used the NRIC inside to sign up for seven phone subscription contracts with various telcos.
He then sold the mobile phones to a second-hand shop.
To avoid the police, he also used the same NRIC to check into hotels for the night.
In all, Goh committed 59 offences from November 2017 to May last year.
Yesterday, District Judge Matthew Joseph noted Goh had offended because he wanted to raise money for his wife's medical bills, and was frustrated when his employer did not pay his salary.
He sentenced Goh to six years' corrective training for his offences.
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