Man stole booze then started blaze in bar

SINGAPORE - Ahmad Sa'ri Ju'mahad's actions caused $30,000 worth of damage, and earned him an additional criminal charge of causing mischief by fire.

Yesterday, the 54-year-old was jailed for 18 months after admitting to house trespass and starting the fire.

His suspected accomplice, Muhammed Kamal Abdul Hamid, 43, is still at large.

The court heard that around 2.50am on Sept 24, the duo entered the bar of Azzura Resorts in Sentosa after noticing that its entrance shutters were not fully closed.

After trying and failing to force open the bar's cash register with a hammer, they took a bottle of liquor and consumed it.

It was after this that they stole a cap and three bottles of alcohol, valued at $1,300.

Ahmad Sa'ri then used a cloth to wipe the cash register machine to "remove evidence".

At about 3.30am, he used a lighter to set fire to a stack of paper he had spotted under the cash register.

This caused smoke and fire damage to several items in the bar, including printers, television screens and the bar counter.

Ahmad Sa'ri had been jailed for two years in 2001 for housebreaking and theft by day.

He told the court he was remorseful, adding that he was high on sleeping pills and alcohol at the time.

He could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined for committing house trespass to steal.

He faced the same maximum punishment for committing mischief by fire.

This article was first published on December 23, 2014.
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