Sports student jailed for break-ins

A sports student broke into his friend's home and stole cash from his mother's bedroom while the family were away - hours after appearing in court over another housebreaking charge.

Mohammad Suffian Mohammad Sapri, 23, was jailed a total of 21 months yesterday after admitting to two counts of burglary.

He first broke into a flat in Woodlands Street 82 at night on Sept 20 last year, after finding the main gate and door unlocked.

Suffian, then a student at the International Sports Academy Singapore, had hoped to steal shoes or football boots, the court heard.

He stole more than S$3,000 worth of property - including a MacBook Pro and iPad mini. He put them in a Converse bag that he found, which also contained a wallet with Visa and ez-link cards and other items.

A maid who woke up saw him trying to steal another iPad and shouted: "Thief! Thief!"

Startled, Suffian ran out, leaving his slippers behind.

He was spotted later in Woodlands North Plaza by the victim and her daughters, who recognised the Converse bag he was carrying. They grabbed it from him and he fled in a taxi.

The police later identified and arrested him.

On Oct 21, he appeared in court for the mention of the case. Later that day, he went to his friend's flat in Sims Drive and used spanners to break in.

His friend was doing national service at the time and his parents were overseas. Suffian stole about S$250 in cash from the mother's drawer in the master bedroom.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yvonne Poon said that when a neighbour had earlier asked what he was doing, he lied his friend had invited him over to play a game. The next day, the neighbour noticed that the flat's door was ajar.

The victim's brother was alerted and he called the police, who took DNA swabs from the scene.

Asked by District Judge Tan Boon Heng why he targeted his friend's flat, Suffian had no answer. He could have been jailed for up to 10 years on each housebreaking and theft charge.

A third charge of fraudulent possession of a pair of shoes was considered.

This article was first published on JULY 2, 2014.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.