Man posted sister's medical info online over $150 loan

Angry with his younger sister for not returning a $150 loan, Syahrel Mohamad, 36, posted confidential medical information about her on social media and stole from her letter box grocery vouchers given out in Budget 2020.

His sister was being treated for depression at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) at the time.

Syahrel had posted a picture of her medical bill on his public Instagram account in December last year with the caption "gile rupe nye... hahahahaha" in Malay, which means "this person is crazy".

Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to seven charges, including intentionally causing distress, criminal intimidation, committing a rash act to endanger human life, voluntarily causing hurt, and theft.

Syahrel, the oldest of five children, was given eight months and 12 weeks' jail and fined $2,500.

The court heard that on Dec 18 last year, he forcibly broke open his sister's letter box and stole grocery vouchers worth $100. The grocery voucher scheme aims to help low-income Singaporeans amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Syahrel gave $30 in vouchers to his fiancee, who was unaware that they were stolen, and the rest to random people in Bukit Panjang.

His sister realised the vouchers were stolen about two weeks later, when she called a helpline to inquire about them. She was told that they had been delivered and redeemed partly. She called the police that day to report the theft.

Syahrel found his sister's IMH bill when he returned to the letter box on Dec 19 last year to steal more items. It contained her personal details and information that she was being treated at the facility. He posted these details online.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Samynathan told the court that his sister felt "upset and distressed" when her medical information was made public.

Syahrel also had an issue with his mother, a widow. In November last year, he sent threatening messages to intimidate her into returning the $500 he had given her. He told his mother he would slash her head with a parang, send people up to her unit and splash paint at the flat.

He was also involved in another incident on Dec 16 last year, when he locked the front wheel of a man's e-bicycle with a padlock after an argument with him. As a result, the man fell and injured his leg while trying to ride his bicycle.

For committing criminal intimidation, Syahrel could have been jailed for two years and fined.

He could have been jailed for up to three years and fined for theft.