Sickle-wielding man who stole car gets preventive detention
A recalcitrant offender who had crashed a stolen car through a barrier at Woodlands Checkpoint was yesterday sentenced to 15 years' preventive detention and given 24 strokes of the cane.
Chew Guan Mong, 45, was also banned from driving for a year. He had been convicted in 1994 for armed robbery and served a 12-year term of corrective training.
On Jan 5, last year, he was driving a rental car along the Pan-Island Expressway towards Tuas despite being under a driving ban from 2004 till 2034 for previous offences.
FLED VEHICLE
He then collided with an SMRT bus and fled the vehicle.
He later ran across the centre divider of the expressway carrying a bag containing a sickle, and a bottle of kerosene.
Chew ran up to a stationary Mazda driven by a woman, 40, and opened her door while brandishing the sickle at her. He shouted at her to leave the vehicle and she did so out of fear.
He drove her car to Woodlands Checkpoint and entered the motorcycle lane by mistake.
He was eventually stuck in the lane due to the narrowing road.
Desperate to escape, he crashed through a traffic control barrier.
Due to repeated collisions, the stolen car was so badly damaged it could no longer move.
When police officers approached the vehicle, Chew emerged with a sickle in his hand and warned them not to approach him.
He was eventually subdued and arrested.
In August, Chew had also pleaded guilty to other offences.
He had collected the ransom money of Goh Chun Kiat, 41, who wanted to flee Singapore after being released on bail for cheating offences. Goh had been kidnapped in Malaysia.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Chong said Chew had a high propensity of re-offending since most of his offences were committed while on bail.
Another 25 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
In mitigation, Chew's lawyer, Mr Josephus Tan, said just before Chew was arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint, he had doused himself with kerosene and had tried to set himself alight but the lighter was not working.
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