Teenager admits to using blowtorch in failed burglary attempts
SINGAPORE — Looking to pay off his debts, a teenager attempted to break into two jewellery stores using a blowtorch but was thwarted on both occasions.
At the time of the offences, 19-year-old Saatish Gautham had also been placed on a wanted list for breaching the conditions of the reformative training sentence he had been serving.
At the State Courts on Wednesday (19 June), he pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted housebreaking by night with common intention and one charge of rioting with a deadly weapon.
One charge of attempted housebreaking by night and one of theft will be taken into consideration for Saatish’s sentencing.
His two accomplices in the attempted burglary – Jamal Razeen Abdul Ghani, 19; and Mohammad Fadzir, 17 – were earlier handed reformative training sentences.
Planned hatched in March
In March last year, Jamal suggested to Saatish that they rob jewellery stores to pay off their debts. Faris was later roped into the plan.
Jamal purchased an oxyacetylene blowtorch set and had it delivered to Saatish’s house. The group intended to use the blowtorch set to dismantle metal doors of jewellery shops.
At around 2am on 11 March, the group visited Little India. With their tools loaded on an abandoned trolley, Saatish and Faris entered a back lane of Serangoon Road.
The duo stopped at the rear door of Merlin Goldsmith & Jewellery as per Jamal’s instructions. As Faris and Jamal kept a lookout, Saatish lit the blowtorch and attempted to cut through the hinges of the shop’s door.
About half an hour later, Faris noticed a man looking at Saatish. He called Saatish on his mobile phone and Saatish immediately hid the blow torch using a cardboard box. Saatish then pushed the trolley aside and walked away.
The group left the area after but returned shortly after to try their luck at a different shop.
At around 4.30am, the trio tried to break into Jewel Palace along Buffalo Road. This time, they used the blowtorch to dismantle the shop’s roller shutters and then smashed the lock with a hammer.
Upon rolling up the shutters, an alarm sounded and the pair fled. Nothing was stolen from either shop.
Assaulted teenager
On 30 November last year, Saatish was part of a group that attacked a 19-year-old boy. The attack had been prompted by the victim’s anger over his girlfriend having been in contact with Jamal.
Jamal then called together six friends, including Faris and Saatish, and togther they assaulted the victim along the corridor of a HDB block. Saatish and Faris both used knives to slash the victim, who was left with lacerations on his body.
At the time of the attack, which lasted a few minutes, Saatish had just completed the reformative training stint he had earlier absconded from.
For rioting, Saatish faces a jail term of up to seven years and caning. For house-breaking by night to commit theft, he faces a jail term of between two and 14 years
Saatish will be back in court on 3 July.
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