Elderly repeat offender jailed nine years for robbery
A 60-year-old repeat offender was sentenced to nine years’ jail for robbery on Thursday (7 June).
Andrew Tan Siew Kong pleaded guilty in the State Courts to a charge of robbery and another charge of attempted robbery.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Hui Jia Lun told the court that Tan had repeatedly offended in the 39 years since his first robbery in 1979.
Tan was last jailed for robbery in 2006, when he was given seven years’ corrective training and six strokes of the cane. Corrective training is a prison regime for repeat offenders which does not allow the usual one-third remission of jail terms for good behaviour.
His most recent offence was committed on 24 October last year. At about 9.45am on the day, Tan cornered a 57-year-old woman in a HDB lift at Punggol Central. She was with her one-year-old grandson at the time.
Tan pressed a kitchen knife with a 9cm blade against the victim’s stomach and demanded money. When the woman replied that she did not have any money, he grabbed the pouch she was carrying and ran out of the lift.
There were only a few keys and a packet of tissue paper inside the pouch, which itself was worth $14.20.
Less than two hours later, Tan approached a 37-year-old woman at a bus stop along Punggol Central road.
He attempted to rob her at knifepoint but she pushed him away, refusing to surrender her handbag. Tan tried again but she used her umbrella to fend him off. Thwarted, he ran off.
“There’s no way to say when he will stop committing the offences… (and) he really does not understand the severity and gravity of his offences,” said DPP Hui, who asked for the maximum 10 years’ jail term.
Defence Counsel Melvin Loh said that his client was remorseful. Tan is unemployed and just wanted money quickly, with no intention to hurt anyone.
District Judge Edgar Foo noted that Tan had already received corrective training in 2006 but still committed robbery again.
As Tan is above 50-years-old, he will not receive the mandatory minimum of six strokes of the cane.
