SINGAPORE: A 53-year-old man was sentenced to 31 days in jail on Friday (May 16) for pouring superglue on a man’s head and stealing a student’s wallet on a bus.
Mr Jimmy Wong Kok Chyn pleaded guilty to one charge of theft and another charge of using criminal force. An additional charge of theft involving a bottle of engine oil worth about S$13.50 was taken into account for his sentencing.
Mr Wong was arrested on Apr 15 and released from jail on Friday, given that his sentence was backdated.
The superglue incident was “bizarre to say the least”, said District Judge Paul Quan in his sentencing decision, noting that the prosecution sought a jail term for both offences.
On Sep 19, 2024, the victim was asleep on bus 33, heading home towards Bedok interchange. Mr Wong boarded the same bus along Clementi Road at about 1pm and sat behind him.
At about 1.50pm, the bus was along Victoria Street when the victim woke up abruptly after feeling some liquid substance flowing from the back of his head.
He turned around to question Mr Wong, who claimed that he had dropped something.
“Instead of owning up to his actions, Mr Wong was unrepentant and claimed that he had dropped something instead,” said the judge, describing it as an act of violence that was “completely gratuitous” and uncalled for.
The victim touched his hair and discovered that glue had been poured over his head and shirt. He immediately informed the bus captain, but at that point, Mr Wong took the opportunity to alight from the bus with other passengers.
The victim called the police and later tried washing away the glue for about 20 minutes. Since Mr Wong had used superglue, the victim eventually had to cut his hair and dispose of his shirt.
WALLET THEFT
Months prior, on Apr 15, 2024, an 18-year-old student boarded bus 183 at Clementi MRT station at about 8.40pm. She was sitting on the upper deck and had slung her bag to her side before taking a nap.
Mr Wong boarded the same bus along Clementi Road about five minutes later.
Since there were no other passengers on the upper deck, he “formed a dishonest intention to steal”, the prosecution said on Friday.
At about 8.55pm, Mr Wong removed a wallet from the victim’s bag. He alighted from the bus about 15 minutes later.
The victim later found her wallet missing and lodged a police report.
Mr Wong returned the wallet on Jun 2, 2024, while he was under police investigations.
Noting that the crime took place on board public transport against an unsuspecting passenger who was asleep, the judge added that the theft of her wallet, which contained her NRIC and student pass, would have caused “great inconvenience” to her.
The judge also noted that Mr Wong is not a first-time offender and has previously been sentenced to jail for theft.
By committing the crime on Apr 15, 2024, the last day of an earlier conditional remission order, Mr Wong breached the order, and the judge added an enhanced sentence of one day in prison to account for this.
Even though this was less serious than his previous theft offences, Mr Wong’s rehabilitative prospects are “decidedly low”, said the judge, noting that he reoffended on the last day of a 16-day remission period.
“He has not been able to rehabilitate himself yet,” the judge added.
In mitigation, Mr Wong said: “I have nothing to say but I know what I did is all wrong. Please forgive me again, thank you.”
Mr Wong was fortunate that nothing happened to the male victim, said the judge, noting that the superglue could have affected his eyes or glued his eyelids together.
“You make sure that you don’t reoffend again, because you have been reoffending. So you have to find out why this is going on,” he told Mr Wong after confirming his sentence.
“The next time you come and reoffend, the punishment will be more severe.”
The punishment for theft is up to three years in prison, a fine, or both.
For using criminal force, Mr Wong could have faced up to three months in prison, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both.
