News

Cashier Said, ‘Do It Yourself’ When 16YO Robbed Minimart in Kembangan

2020-11-28 , 7:30 am

It’s rare that you see a headline that contains not one but two surprises.

First, a 16-year-old student robbing a minimart and secondly, the cashier asking the 16-year-old to “self-service”.

Believe it or not, this happened in Singapore on Valentine’s Day.

Here’s What Happened

According to Lianhe Wanbao, the incident happened on 14 Feb 2020 at 5.21am.

A 16-year-old student dressed all in black and carrying a black bag walked into the minimart located at 110 Lengkong Tiga.

He was also wearing a black mask during that time to hide his robbery.

He took out a knife and brandished it towards the shop assistant, who was rearranging the bread display at that time, telling him that it’s a robbery.

Frightened, the shop assistant told him to “do it yourself” before escaping from the shop to a nearby 24-hour store for help.

Panicking

It was reported that the student was unable to break into the cash register and fled with 42 packs of cigarettes instead.

He was only in the minimart for two minutes or so but his actions showed him to be nervous as well.

When placing the stolen cigarettes into his bag, many fell to the ground due to his haste, and he ran out quickly after getting what he came for.

The cigarettes were reportedly worth S$571.

The student left after taking the cigarette packs and hid them in his own room.

Caught

Unfortunately (for the student), he didn’t manage to get away with his crime scot-free despite only spending two minutes robbing the store.

He was caught on the minimart’s CCTV and the police managed to establish his identity quickly.

The next day at 2.25am, they arrested him at his home and seized the stolen cigarettes and a notebook.

The notebook allegedly contains the plans that the student had thought up to rob the minimart and each step was meticulously planned.

Schoolwork Stress

While the student’s identity is hidden due to him being under 18 years old, the Chinese newspaper reported that the student comes from an elite school.

In court, the student said that he knows his offence is a serious crime and feels remorseful over his actions.

He also promised not to do it again.

His lawyer told the court that the student was under a lot of stress at school.

His action of robbing a minimart was a way to ask for help.

Sentence

For his offence, the student is sentenced to 27 months of probation.

He must also live in the Singapore Boys’ Hostel for six months and undergo a mental assessment, a test for drug or alcohol abuse, and receive relevant treatment.

He is also not allowed to go out between 10pm and 6am and has to take the urine test.

His parents have to sign a $5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour during this period.

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