Man who acted as police officer to scam foreigners at Marina Bay Sands jailed
A man who pretended to be a police officer in order to con foreigners into handing over their mobile phones near Marina Bay Sands last December received a 10-month jail term on Wednesday (30 May).
Mohammad Noh Fandi Kamis, 23, pleaded guilty at the State Courts to three charges of cheating. Two other cheating offences, and one charge of impersonating a police officer were taken into consideration.
Noh also received an additional 65-day jail term for offending during his remission period in relation to a previous conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheng Yuxi told the court that Noh and 34-year-old Jensen Li had misled foreigners at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) into surrendering over $800 worth of mobile phones between 2am and 3am on 6 December last year.
Noh and Li had been out drinking the night before at a bar near Serangoon Gardens when they concocted a plan to scam foreigners by pretending to be police officers.
The duo took a Grab taxi to The Shoppes at MBS to find their victims. Within the span of an hour they conned six foreigners, including a Malaysian work permit holder and some Indonesian tourists.
Although not wearing any uniforms, Noh and Li convinced the victims they were policemen and, under various pretexts, confiscated their phones as well about $100 in cash.
DPP Cheng asked for a jail term of over 12 months of Noh’s offences. This included a 65-day jail term as he was still within his remission period when he committed the offences.
Offenders who do not misbehave in prison are generally released after serving two-thirds of their jail term and are placed under the Conditional Remission System for the remaining sentence. Noh had previously been jailed in early 2017 for stealing a car and bringing it for a joyride.
In mitigation, defense counsel Shaneet Nityanand Rai told the court that his client suffered from schizophrenia. While there was no direct link between Noh’s mental illness and the offences, it ought to be taken into account, said the lawyer.
Noh used to sell trinkets for a small profit to sustain himself, said Rai, who added that three days before the offences, Noh had not been able to make any sales and could not afford to go home to take his medication. Rai asked for just over 10 months’ jail for the offences.
For cheating people into handing over their property, Noh could have been jailed up to 10 years, fined, or both.
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