4 weeks' jail for man who used military identity card found on bus to buy mobile phone, sell it for profit
Upon arrival, the police found the 47-year-old man lying motionless outside the residential unit.
SINGAPORE — Rather than returning a misplaced military identity card to its rightful owner, Marcus Chai Chen Kit used it as an opportunity to buy a mobile phone that he resold for a profit.
On Monday (Sept 12), the 25-year-old Singaporean was jailed for four weeks after he pleaded guilty to misappropriating a Singapore Armed Forces National Service 11B card.
Chai also pleaded guilty to two other charges related to cheating an employee of telecommunications company StarHub, and making a false statement to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
A fourth charge, related to credit card fraud, was taken into consideration for sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kevin Liew said that the misappropriation of the 11B card occurred sometime in 2017 when Chai was on a bus and came across the military identity card.
It was not stated where in the bus Chai found the card, or if the card's owner was present when Chai took it.
Chai then took the card to a StarHub shop on April 17 that year, which he used to buy an iPhone at a discounted price after signing up for a 24-month mobile contract with the telco.
DPP Liew said that Chai not only sold the phone off for a profit, but he also failed to pay for the monthly bills of the mobile line he subscribed using the 11B.
Chai’s offence came to light when the card's owner tried to sign up for a mobile plan with another telecommunications company, Singtel, in March 2018, but was told that he had outstanding bills with StarHub that he first needed to pay.
The amount of debt incurred on the mobile line as a result of Chai’s actions was S$1,265.29, for which he has since made full restitution to StarHub.
As for the case involving ICA, DPP Liew said that it took place in June 2019, when Chai was renting a room along Lorong 27 in Geylang.
The court heard that Chai had entered into a three-month rental arrangement with his landlord, Mr Wu Cheng.
When Chai was unable to make payment for both the deposit and the rent, he was told to leave the premises, but not before Mr Wu kept Chai’s passport as collateral since there were still outstanding payments to be made.
Chai was able to swop this document with his identity card after he told Mr Wu that he needed the passport to travel overseas.
After that, he ceased contact with Mr Wu until April 2020, when he asked for the return of his identity card because he needed to cancel a lost identity card application he had filed with ICA.
When Mr Wu heard this, he contacted the authority to inform them that Chai had filed a false declaration that he had lost his identity card.
DPP Liew, who sought a jail term of between five and eight weeks, said that Chai had also committed other cheating, misappropriation and traffic-related offences in the past.
In seeking a lighter sentence for his client, defence lawyer Wee Hong Shern said that Chai had committed the offences when he was much younger.
Moreover, they happened at a time when Chai was going through an “emotionally tumultuous situation”.
“Marcus did not have the benefit of growing up in a full and functioning family nexus,” Mr Wee said as he sought a total sentence of four weeks in jail.
“He did have some problems when he was growing up, and he moved out of his mother’s house and stayed at a separate place.”
Mr Wee said that since the offences took place, Chai has secured gainful employment as recruitment consultant, and has even been given a promotion.
This, the lawyer said, was indication that his client had “reintegrated in society” and would not be committing any further offences.
“He is a young man really trying to make it on his own, paying for his own legal fees and also paying restitution (to StarHub). All this shows… he is really contrite and eager to turn over a new leaf.
“A period of incarceration could cost him (his) job… and his livelihood, something he deeply treasures and is reliant on to support himself and his mother,” Mr Wee said, adding that his client has since moved back with his mother.
He is a young man really trying to make it on his own, paying for his own legal fees and also paying restitution (to StarHub). All this shows… he is really contrite and eager to turn over a new leaf.
District Judge James Elisha Lee acknowledged that Chai has “shown good potential for rehabilitation” as demonstrated by his ability to secure employment and performing well in his job.
“The accused's progress has been acknowledged by the prosecution as well,” the judge said, granting Lee permission to begin his sentence on Thursday so that he has time to settle some matters at his workplace.
The punishment for misappropriation is a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both.
The punishment for cheating is a jail term of up to three years or a fine, or both.
The punishment for falsely declaring the loss of an identity card is a jail term of up to three years. The offender is also liable to a fine.
