Western Union branch robber jailed 4 years 9 months
A man who used a hacksaw blade to rob a Western Union branch in Ubi Avenue 1 last August was sentenced to four years and nine months jail on Wednesday (2 May).
Hashim Hamzah, 58, had pleaded guilty to one charge of armed robbery and one charge of drug possession at the State Courts on the same day.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Rimplejit Kaur said that on the day of the robbery, Hashim was rummaging through discarded items at various locations around the Eunos area. This was about 8 am on 1 August 2017.
He was initially looking for things he could sell to pay off his debts, but soon realised the sales of the items he found would not pay off the amount he had borrowed from licensed moneylenders. That was when it occurred to him that he could rob the Western Union branch at Block 301 Ubi Avenue 1, said DPP Kaur.
Among the items he had found in Eunos were a white helmet, a red bicycle, a face mask, a blue jacket and a 15cm long hacksaw blade.
Robbery, drug possession
The branch was still closed when Hashim arrived, but he waited and watched. By then, he had put on the white helmet, the face mask, and blue jacket to conceal his identity. He also hid the hacksaw blade in a plastic bag.
At about 10.43am, Customer Service Officer Hankum Prontip, 28, entered the branch to prepare for its opening at 11am. Prontip pulled the shutters down but did not lock it after entering, and was the only person inside the branch.
Hashim entered soon after, pulling the shutters down to prevent any passers-by from spotting him.
Prontip was in a doorway leading to the front counter when Hashim confronted her. He pointed the blade at her and shouted “Money! Money!” in English. She was “plagued by fear” said DPP Kaur.
Hashim was led to a cash box that had about $4,000 in cash and coins. He grabbed a few bundles of cash, stuffed it into a red plastic bag, and ran out of the branch at about 10.45am.
Prontip followed suit. She found Hashim hiding near a payphone and shouted for help. He bolted and managed to escape but dropped some bundles of cash along the way. Passers-by helped Prontip retrieve the money. About $654 was stolen by Hashim.
Hashim was arrested by police on 3 August 2017, when illegal drugs were also discovered on him. By then, only $34.30 of the stolen amount was left. Hashim had repaid his loan of $400 and spent the rest of the money on food, 4D tickets, cigarettes and drugs.
DPP Kaur asked the court for two years and six months jail for the armed robbery, and two years for drug possession.
Armed robbery also carries a mandatory minimum of 12 strokes of the cane but Hashim cannot be caned as he is above 50 years of age.
In lieu of caning, DPP Kaur asked that the court add six months to his jail term, bringing it to a total of five years. She also pointed to his “pattern of criminal behaviour” as he had a history of drug offences spanning back to 1982.
In mitigation, Defence Counsel Melvin Loh said that his client had difficulties finding a job when he got out of jail in 2014.
He ended up borrowing money over the years to help tide him over. As he was unable to repay the loans, debt collectors started showing up at his sister’s flat where he was staying. Unable to find a way out, he resorted to robbery.
For daylight armed robbery, Hashim could have been jailed up to ten years and caned at least six times. For drug possession he could have been jailed up to ten years, and fined up to $20,000.
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