Men stole 19 manhole covers worth $3,800 all over S'pore

TWO men who went on a spree, stealing covers from 19 manholes across Singapore, each had their five-week jail term trebled after the prosecution appealed.

Over the course of December last year, Juraimy Mohamed Hashim, 36, and Abdul Rahim Ramli, 35, drove a van to various places in Singapore to steal the covers.

The manhole covers were later sold to an unknown man for an unspecified profit. None of the covers has been recovered.

The missing covers led to at least one accident – in which a taxi went over one of the open manholes and had its left rear wheel stuck. A tow truck had to be called in.

In January, Abdul Rahim pleaded guilty to three charges of theft and one charge of committing a rash act that endangered the safety of others. Seven similar charges of theft and nine similar charges of committing a rash act were taken into consideration.

Juraimy pleaded guilty to five charges of theft and one charge of committing a rash act. Five similar charges of theft and nine similar charges of committing a rash act were taken into consideration.

A district court sentenced each man to five weeks’ jail.

The prosecution appealed against the jail terms, arguing that a deterrent sentence was clearly warranted as the pair’s actions could have caused serious injuries to other road users.

Justice Chao Hick Tin noted that the offences were planned and not committed on the spur of the moment and agreed with prosecutors that these were serious offences that concern public safety and as such, had the duo's five-week jail term trebled after the prosecution appealed.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

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