SINGAPORE, March 16 — After a domestic worker caught odd-job worker Muhammad Tawfiq Nor Shiman who had sneaked into her employer’s condominium apartment and was sitting on a sofa, he asked if he could use the shower.
When he was rejected and escorted out of the home, Tawfiq decided instead to take a 15-minute-dip in the condominium’s pool.
Several months later, he climbed into another apartment in a different condominium to steal a pair of shoes and clothing.
Yesterday, the 30-year-old was sentenced to one year and two months’ jail after pleading guilty to a total of five charges.
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The charges include two for theft in dwelling and one each of possessing an offensive weapon, housebreaking and housebreaking to commit theft.
Another six charges for theft, voluntarily causing hurt, intentionally causing alarm and trespassing were taken into consideration.
What happened
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The court heard that Tawfiq was previously caught in 2022 stealing a bottle of whiskey from a 7-Eleven convenience store at Bugis+ mall, and was found with a Swiss army knife during a police search.
He also tried to steal a S$6,000 (RM21,097) gold chain from a pawn shop in Bedok on January 12 last year.
On April 13 last year, he was issued a warrant of arrest for failing to attend court. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Brian Tan did not elaborate which charges he had against him then.
A couple of months later on June 29 last year, Tawfiq noticed an area of private cluster housing at Kew Green in Siglap that was bordered by low walls.
Believing that no one was present in one of the houses, Tawfiq scaled the wall and then sat on a sofa.
However, he was spotted by the domestic worker in the household, who then asked how he got into the unit.
To this, Tawfiq responded that he entered from the back of the house, and then asked to take a shower. The helper refused to let him do so and escorted him out through the front door.
Instead of leaving the premises right away, Tawfiq headed to a private swimming pool within Kew Green and swam for about 15 minutes, DPP Tan said.
A few days later on July 17 at about 6am, Tawfiq tailgated a resident entering Edelweiss Park condominium in the Loyang Avenue estate near Changi. He was barefooted and wanted a pair of shoes to wear.
DPP Tan did not say why Tawfiq was barefooted.
He climbed into an apartment’s balcony after spotting a pair of shoes, which he decided to steal. While doing so, he noticed that a window was left open and he climbed into the apartment hoping to find spare clothes.
DPP Tan did not say which floor the unit is located.
This commotion caused a male resident to wake up and discover the intruder. When he confronted Tawfiq, the latter escaped through the window and leapt off the balcony ledge with the stolen shoes.
The police later found Tawfiq within the condo premises and arrested him.
No money
Even though several of Tawfiq’s crimes were petty in nature, his actions showed his “nonchalance and… persistent disregard for the law”, DPP Tan said.
He asked for a sentence of 18 to 21 months’ jail, adding that Tawfiq had committed some of the crimes such as housebreaking while on the run for absconding court.
DPP Tan also noted how Tawfiq had persisted in his conduct by taking a swim at a swimming pool within the private property after he was asked to leave.
“The accused had the audacity to ask the complainant’s helper if he could take a shower in the house,” he added.
In his mitigation plea, Tawfiq’s lawyer said that his client had separated from his wife and three children in 2018 and he could see his children only every few months.
Ms Renuga Devi Sivaram from the Public Defender’s Office said that his decision to steal the gold chain, for example, stemmed from his desire to make some money to buy his children a nice meal and gifts.
She also said that Tawfiq did not make enough money from his jobs for his children and thus committed the acts, adding that he is “genuinely remorseful”.
For theft in dwelling, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined. For possessing an offensive weapon, he could have been jailed for up to two years or fined, or both.
The penalty for housebreaking is a jail term of up to three years or a fine, or both. For housebreaking with theft, it is a jail term of 10 years and a fine. — TODAY