Ex-driver jailed for stealing over S$2,000 from orange juice vending machines
A iJooz vending machine outside Fortune Centre. This was one of the machines from which Lee Zhi Hao, a former employee of the company, stole money on the evening of Feb 24.
SINGAPORE — When a former driver with an orange juice vending machine company was fired from his job, he decided to take revenge by stealing more than S$2,000 from the firm's machines.
Lee Zhi Hao pulled this off by pocketing a key that could unlock the machines, which he had found as he was packing up his belongings.
On Monday (April 8), the 28-year-old Malaysian was sentenced to nine weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to three counts of theft. Five other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that Lee was employed as a driver with Fruits Vending, which operates iJooz orange juice vending machines across the island, from November to mid-December 2018.
He topped up oranges in the machines, cleaned them and collected the cash takings.
On Dec 13, 2018, Lee’s contract was terminated due to poor performance. As he prepared to leave the company’s premises, he found a key that he used to unlock the vending machines and decided to keep it.
On the evening of Feb 24 this year, he went on his stealing spree.
THE THEFTS
Lee drove to a multi-storey car park near Tai Hoe Hotel at Kitchener Road and changed into a set of clothing he had prepared beforehand, including a surgical mask, a black cap and a pair of long black trousers.
At around 7pm, he went to the iJooz vending machine at Tai Hoe Hotel, unlocked it with the key and took S$192 in cash.
He then proceeded to raid other machines around the area, ending his spree at Parklane Shopping Mall. In just under 40 minutes, he had stolen S$2,354 from eight machines.
He then got rid of the key and his clothing. He used the stolen money to settle his personal debts from gambling. He has not made any restitution.
The day after, an accountant from Fruits Vending alerted the operations manager, Mr Steven Han, about the shortfall in cash at the Fortune Centre vending machine.
When Mr Han looked at closed-circuit television footage, he discovered that more money was missing from vending machines around the area.
Mr Han then lodged a police report. Lee was arrested on March 20.
For each count of theft, he could have been jailed up to three years and/or fined.
