SINGAPORE, July 8 — A tourist who pulled off a robbery in broad daylight at Holland Village’s Standard Chartered bank branch in 2016, then fled the country with S$30,450 (RM94,000) in cash, was sentenced to five years’ jail and six strokes of the cane on Wednesday (July 7).
David James Roach, now aged 31, a Canadian national, was sentenced exactly five years after orchestrating the robbery on July 7, 2016.
He pleaded guilty in the State Courts to one charge each of robbery and taking the money out of Singapore. The latter offence amounts to money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
However, the Singapore Government had assured the British authorities that he would not receive this punishment if it agreed to extradite him. Laws in the United Kingdom prohibit the extradition of anyone without such an undertaking.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Attorney-General’s Chambers here said in a joint statement on Wednesday night that the Singapore Government is “working through the necessary procedures” to fulfil this.
“This assurance given to the UK is in recognition of the differing views that countries have on corporal punishment and (it) does not affect Singapore’s long-held view that such punishment does not constitute torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or contravene international law,” they added.
Roach had absconded to Thailand following the robbery and was arrested in a backpackers’ hostel there two days later. He was subsequently jailed 14 months for smuggling the large sum of money into Thailand.
Thai authorities rejected Singapore’s request to extradite Roach to face charges here, and decided to deport him to Canada in January after his release from jail.
On January 11, 2018, Roach was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport on his way back to Canada by British police, following a request from Singapore authorities. The Republic has an extradition treaty with Britain, but not with Thailand.
The Singapore Government then agreed that he would not be caned if he was convicted here.
In October 2018, the UK’s Secretary of State ordered Roach’s extradition to Singapore but he applied to appeal the decision. The UK High Court dismissed the application about a year later.
He was given further permission to appeal his extradition on the money-laundering charge but this was rejected in March last year. He was then extradited to Singapore and charged in court.
What happened
The court heard that Roach entered Singapore on a social visit pass on June 29, 2016.
He hatched the robbery and escape plan, which entailed making reconnaissance trips to the bank to familiarise himself with the environment and make a smooth exit.
He checked into three different hostels between his arrival date and the robbery.
The day before, he walked around the vicinity of the bank and bought a grey sweater from Bugis Junction, which he planned to wear to evade detection.
On the day of the robbery, he left the Beary Best hostel in Chinatown where he was staying, went to Holland Village and loitered there for some time. He then put on the sweater and a black cap, entered the bank and placed his sling bag on the counter.
He handed the bank teller a piece of paper with: “This is a robbery, I have a gun in my bag” written on it.
The teller looked up and mistakenly thought he had a gun when he placed his hand in his bag. She began passing him cash while pressing the panic button.
Roach rejected two and five dollar notes, taking those in S$10 and S$50 denominations. She placed the cash, amounting to S$30,450, in an envelope at his request before he fled.
She stood up and shouted that he was a robber, and two co-workers gave chase but lost sight of him. He went to a nearby row of shophouses to change his attire, went to a cafe and back to his hostel, before going to Changi Airport.
He bought a ticket for Bangkok and left.
He has not made any restitution and Standard Chartered has claimed the stolen sum from their insurance.
‘Brazen, calculated, targeted’
Deputy Public Prosecutors Marcus Foo and Jordon Li, who asked for six years’ jail and nine strokes of the cane, argued that Roach had “shown himself to be entirely unremorseful by virtue of repeatedly challenging extradition proceedings”.
In mitigation, Roach’s lawyer Anand Nalachandran noted that his major depressive disorder had been a contributory factor in the offences.
His impaired state of mind had prevented him from understanding his options, the lawyer said, adding: “The clearer and simpler solution if he needed money was to ask for help or to work, but it didn’t occur to him.”
Roach did not intend to hurt or harm anyone and did not make physical contact, Mr Nalachandran argued.
Character references submitted by those who know him showed that it was “completely out of character”, and he had felt like he would rather die than face extradition as he did not think he could cope, the lawyer added.
“Ultimately, he’s spent five years already in remand and hopes to be able to conclude this chapter and return home to his family. He hasn’t seen them in some time due to the various travel restrictions.”
While caning is mandatory for robbery, Mr Nalachandran noted that there was an “assurance” from the Government on this issue.
In sentencing Roach, District Judge Luke Tan said he had committed the robbery in a “brazen yet calculated and targeted manner”.
The bank teller he had approached was also pregnant at the time and suffered psychological harm, sitting in a room and crying to herself for three weeks afterwards. She also felt uneasy and scared whenever she was reminded of it again.
While Roach ultimately did not have a gun, the potential for public apprehension and concern about an armed robber on the loose should not be brushed aside, the judge added.
Those convicted of robbery can be jailed for up to 10 years and given at least six strokes of the cane.
For money laundering, Roach could also have been jailed for up to 10 years or fined up to S$500,000, or both. — TODAY
