Valet driver jailed 7 weeks for stealing drunk customer’s luxury watch worth S$15,000
The court heard that valet driver Maheson Pillai Paneerselvam stole a limited edition watch worth S$15,000 from a customer's car.
SINGAPORE — While working part-time as a valet driver, an airline steward stole a drunk customer’s limited edition Hublot King Power “Red Devil” Manchester United watch and sold it to a secondhand shop in London for about half its value.
After the Singapore police arrested Maheson Pillai Paneerselvam, his father flew there and bought back the luxury watch then returned it to the victim.
Maheson, 31, was jailed seven weeks on Thursday (Jan 28) after pleading guilty to one count of theft.
The court heard that his victim, Mr Oh Tat Lee, had parked along Spottiswoode Park Road near Keppel Road in the wee hours of Oct 11 in 2019.
He left the watch, valued at S$15,000, near the gear stick of his car, then went to drink at a nearby pub.
When he grew too intoxicated to drive home, he hired a valet service to drive himself and his friend home in his car.
Maheson, who drove them back, saw the watch on the floor mat on the driver’s side when he got into the car.
Before Maheson alighted, he took the watch and put it in his pocket before collecting payment from Mr Oh and leaving.
Mr Oh realised the watch was missing later in the day at about 10am.
Maheson then sold the watch in London for £4,000 (about S$7,200 at current exchange rates) and exchanged the cash for S$6,600.
Mr Oh, having obtained Maheson’s details from the valet service provider, submitted them to the police when he made a police report on the same day.
The police arrested Maheson about three weeks later and he admitted to the theft.
About two weeks after that, his father went to London and got the watch back. Court documents did not state how much he paid for the watch. He returned it to Mr Oh after returning to Singapore.
In sentencing Maheson, District Judge Marvin Bay said that he had exploited the victim’s trust but noted that there was an “exceptional effort” to return the watch to Mr Oh.
This action should be considered for sentencing as the watch “may well have sentimental or intangible value over and beyond its monetary value”. It also demonstrated a genuine expression of remorse and contrition, the judge said.
“I do note the victim’s forgiveness. On the other hand, I cannot ignore the fact that the value of the watch is very substantial,” District Judge Bay added.
For theft, Maheson could have been jailed for up to three years or fined, or both.
