2 men each get 15 months' jail over housebreaking at landed house in Bukit Timah

SINGAPORE: A man who broke into a landed property in Bukit Timah and his lookout were each sentenced to 15 months' jail on Tuesday (Jun 24). 

Feng Yunlong, 38, and Zhang Yongxiang, 52, were nabbed for the break-in at the house in the Greenleaf View residential area. 

Each man pleaded guilty to one count of housebreaking at the State Courts via videolink, and each had one similar charge taken into consideration for sentencing. 

Since the middle of last year, a string of burglaries at landed properties has been reported, with some cases linked to foreign syndicates.

Between early June and August 2024, 10 cases were reported in private estates around the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road, with stolen items valued at S$3.85 million.

STOLE WATCHES

The two Chinese nationals arrived here on a social visit pass on Dec 13 last year - three days before the break in, the court heard. 

At about 8.50pm on Dec 16, 2024, the duo loitered at the Greenleaf private residential estate with the intention to commit housebreaking and theft. 

The two targeted a house which had no lights on. 

Zhang wore gloves he took from an adjacent house that was under construction so as not to leave his fingerprints in the house. 

At about 9.10pm, Zhang entered this construction site, which had no door or gate, by the front entrance and climbed the makeshift staircase to a higher floor. 

He then crossed over a parapet and entered the targeted house through a study room with an unlocked sliding window. He navigated his way around the house with a torchlight. 

Meanwhile, Feng remained outside as a lookout. 

Zhang found two watches on a television console, which he placed in his pocket. 

He explored other parts of the house looking for other valuables but found none. He decided to leave and met Feng outside. The pair then returned to their hotel.  

The two watches stolen were a Cartier Roadster watch worth S$8,800 (US$6,900) and a Casio Edifice watch worth S$150. The pair was arrested two days later. 

The prosecution sought 14 to 16 months' jail for each accused citing several aggravating factors, including how the break-in could cause psychological harm to the owner of the house. 

There was a high level of sophistication of planning and the offence was committed at night, when most residents would be at home, the prosecution argued. 

Both men, who were unrepresented, spoke through a Mandarin interpreter. 

Feng said he wished to be released early as he had an elderly mother who lived alone and his father had died. 

Similarly, Zhang said no one was caring for his 80-year-old mother and his child. "It is quite tough so I'm hoping to get a new chance and I'm seeking to be released early," Zhang added. 

District Judge Christopher Goh then said he was "curious" as to why both  men would come to Singapore "in the first place" if they had family to care for at home. 

Feng did not answer the question, only responding that he "will not do this anymore" and that he will return home to be with his mother.  

Zhang replied: "I intended to find a job actually and I didn't plan for this to have happened. It was because I was greedy and I was wrong."

For housebreaking, each man could have been jailed for up to 10 years, and fined.