Teenagers inspired by Crime Watch episode admit to robbing sex workers
"Crimewatch 2012" tops the list of most-watched shows drama and variety shows on Channel 5.
SINGAPORE: Inspired by an episode of Crime Watch, three teenagers decided to rob illegal sex workers as they were short of money.
Theophileous Jebaraj, 16, and John Karan Karunakaran, 18, pleaded guilty on Friday (Jun 28) to one charge each of armed robbery by night.
The court heard that the two boys had a third friend in their group who was even younger - a 14-year-old, who cannot be named as he is a minor.
The boys were discussing in September last year about how to deal with their financial problems when Theophileous said he recalled watching a television show called Crime Watch, a programme produced in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force, which had showcased a robbery of illegal sex workers in Singapore.
Dismissing one of the boy's suggestion to steal handphones as he said the returns "were little", Theophileous floated the idea of committing robbery instead.
The boys were inspired to rob illegal sex workers as they thought this was a "safer" way of committing robbery, and John volunteered to find potential victims via a website.
On the night of Sep 5 last year, the three boys went to a rented apartment at Block 151, Woodlands Street 13, where two sex workers shared a home.
They knocked on the door and the two women let them in, thinking they were customers. While inside a bedroom with one of the women, Theophileous whipped out a fruit knife, pointed it at the woman and demanded money.
He then searched the room and took S$100 in cash, before leaving the apartment with the other two teens.
At the time of the offence, Theophileous was serving an 18-month sentence at Singapore Boys' Home and John was undergoing probation.
The 14-year-old boy has been convicted for the robbery and is awaiting his sentence.
District Judge May Mesanas called for reformative training reports for the two older boys and adjourned sentencing to Jul 18.
The offence of armed robbery by night carries a penalty of between three and 14 years' jail and at least 12 strokes of the cane.
