'I want you to think of your mother'

For his multiple offences, a relatively heavy sentence would have been expected.

But District Judge John Ng sentenced Zubir Mohamed, 31, to 24 months' jail yesterday.

"I hope when you finish this round of sentencing, you can come out and take care of your mother... You would be the best person to take care of her, so that's something I want you to bear in mind," the judge said, referring to Zubir's plea for a lighter sentence, saying he was the sole breadwinner for his wheelchair-bound mother.

Zubir had earlier pleaded guilty to five charges: one of impersonating a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer, two of voluntarily causing hurt, and two of failing to report for urine testing.

The court heard that on Aug 18, 2014, Zubir and his accomplices, Mr Umar Al-Faruq Alwi, 20, and Norhatika Abdul Rahim, 16, were at Geylang Lorong 15 at about 6am. Mr Umar was serving his national service with Tanglin Police Division at the time.

The group approached a woman asking if she had any Epam (the street name for the sedative nitrazepam) for sale, but she said no.

UPSET

Zubir got upset and told the woman that he was a CNB officer and that his friends were from the police. He even asked Mr Umar to flash his police security pass.

Norhatika then searched the woman while Zubir searched her bag, before taking a necklace that she was wearing.

In another incident, on June 15, 2014, Zubir was at a Bedok clinic with three friends, a man and two women.

Zubir's female friends got into a fight with another woman at the clinic, punching and kicking her.

The woman's husband tried to step in by separating the women and shouting that his wife was pregnant but when Zubir and his friend, Mr Neo Ching Yuang, saw what was happening, they jumped into the fray.

During the fracas, they punched and kicked the woman's husband, who suffered a nasal bone fracture.

Zubir was also involved in a fracas in April this year where he caused a man to sustain a fractured jaw bone.

During sentencing, Judge Ng noted that it was Zubir's birthday, and it was unfortunate that he had to spend it in court getting sentenced.

This article was first published on July 10, 2015.
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