Ex refuses him loan, so he robs her

SINGAPORE - When she turned him down, Oh Keng Yong, 34, became angry and decided to confront her.

He waited for her near the lift lobby at her 10th-storey Circuit Road flat. When she appeared, he snatched her handbag before fleeing.

Oh was jailed for 23 months yesterday after he admitted to two drug-related offences and using criminal force to commit theft.

The court heard that Oh consumed ecstasy in Malaysia on Nov 11, 2013, and was arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint for suspected drug-related activities the next day.

Four tablets of the same drug were later recovered from him in an Amber Gardens apartment.

Oh was released on bail, but continued committing more offences.

On April 6 last year, he spotted his former girlfriend, Ms Soon Pei Ling, 22, at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino. He asked her for the loan, but she refused to help him. Feeling aggrieved, he bought a 20cm-long knife the next day and went to the lift lobby on her floor.

He timed his visit for 3pm when Ms Soon would leave for work, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Shen Wanqin. While she was waiting at the lift lobby, Oh suddenly appeared and grabbed her. She shouted for help and there was a scuffle.

Oh grabbed her $7,000 Chanel handbag containing $6,000 in cash and $6,600 in valuables. She released her grip on it when she felt a sharp pain on her right ring finger. Oh fled the scene.

A neighbour helped Ms Soon call the police. She went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and was treated for a 1cm-long cut on her finger.

Of the stolen items, Oh returned only the handbag to her and did not make any restitution. He used $4,000 of the cash to gamble at the casino.

He was arrested in a Bukit Panjang flat at around 8.30pm on April 8 last year.

This article was first published on January 9, 2015.
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