by Elena Chong
A MAN who stole from the elderly in Housing Board flats by
mainly posing as an electrician to get in was jailed for four years
on Monday. The other method used by Malaysian Tai Soon Leong, 51,
to gain entry into the premises was to break flower pots outside
the victims' homes in a bid to distract them.
In total, the victims, aged between 60 and 90 years, lost
$331,334 on 113 occasions.
Tai had earlier admitted to 10 of 113 counts of theft in
dwelling involving $79,750. Tai, who is suffering from diabetes and
studied up to Primary 1, had evaded arrest by using different
passports to enter and exit Singapore. He was arrested in October
last year.
The father of two sold the stolen jewellery in Johor Baru,
Malaysia or Sungei Road, and used the cash proceeds to gamble at
casinos and on board cruise ships.
In his oral judgment, Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye said
this was not an ordinary case of a serial thief. 'What I find most
repulsive about this case is that the accused had targeted and
exploited the elderly people in almost half of Singapore over a
prolonged period,'' he said. He also said the elderly folk, who
were vulnerable and weak, should be cared for and protected.
Tai had systematically over five years traumatised more than 100
elderly people, and the law will come down hard on any offender who
exploits and targets them.
