Student broke into friend's unit after attending court

Mohammad Suffian Mohammad Sapri, 23, then a student at Singapore International Sports Academy, was sentenced to 21 months after pleading guilty to housebreaking and theft of $3,100 worth of property at a flat in Woodlands Street 82, and later breakin
Mohammad Suffian Mohammad Sapri, 23, then a student at Singapore International Sports Academy, was sentenced to 21 months after pleading guilty to housebreaking and theft of $3,100 worth of property at a flat in Woodlands Street 82, and later breaking into his friend's home in Sims Drive and stealing $250. -- ST GRAPHIC

SINGAPORE - Despite being in the midst of a court case for housebreaking, a student broke into his friend's unit and stole $250.

Mohammad Suffian Mohammad Sapri, 23, then a student at Singapore International Sports Academy, was sentenced to 21 months after pleading guilty to housebreaking and theft of $3,100 worth of property at a flat in Woodlands Street 82, and later breaking into his friend's home in Sims Drive and stealing $250.

A district court heard that on the morning of Oct 21 last year, he went to Madam Suliah Munjin's flat at Sims Drive after his court mention for the first break-in and theft charge committed on Sept 20.

He had been there numerous times as Madam Suliah's son was his friend. He knew that no one would be home as his friend's parents were overseas.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yvonne Poon said Suffian used spanners he found on the shoe rack to force his way into the unit through the main door.

When a neighbour saw him and asked what he was doing, he lied that the 49-year-old victim's son had invited him over to play a game.

He went into the master bedroom and removed about $250 from the dressing drawer, and left the unit without closing the main door as it had been broken.

In the earlier burglary, the court heard that Madam Hamidah Abdul Hamid, a 43-year-old attendant, came home at around 3am on Sept 20 without locking the main door and gate as her son had not yet returned home. She then went to sleep.

At around the same time, Suffian walked to the block after buying cigarettes, intending to steal either shoes or soccer boots.

He got into Madam Hamidah's unit as the door was unlocked. He stole a MacBook Pro and iPad mini being charged on the dining table and put them in a Converse bag he found nearby.

When he went into one of the bedrooms, the maid saw him about to reach for another iPad and shouted "Thief, thief!"

Startled, he ran out, leaving his slippers behind.

He was spotted in Woodlands North Plaza by the victim and her daughters, who recognised the Converse bag he was carrying. They took the bag from him and he fled in a taxi. Police later arrested him.

Suffian, who has a third charge of fraudulent possession taken into consideration, could have been jailed for up to 10 years on each housebreaking and theft charge.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.