SINGAPORE, July 23 — Desperate to clear his debts, Lai Kah Goon, 50, would rent cars here from unsuspecting rental car owners, pass them to an accomplice who would drive across the Causeway and sell the cars with the help of two others.

Lai was yesterday sentenced to 32 months’ jail for conspiring with at least three others on four separate occasions to dishonestly induce rental car owners to deliver four cars valued between S$70,000 and S$120,000 (RM195,008 and RM334,299).

He fled the country after committing his crimes, but he was detained in China for drug-related offences and subsequently deported back to Singapore.

Lai, a divorcee with two children, pleaded guilty to two charges and agreed for two others to be taken into consideration.

His offences were committed between Dec 9 and Dec 14, 2004.

The court heard that each time after renting a vehicle, Lai would pass it on to Koh Choon Siong, who would then drive it to Malaysia, where two other accomplices Steven Koh and Alvin Ng would sell them to unknown buyers.

Lai received S$5,000 on two occasions, the court was told.

The court heard that staff from L & K Limousine Services and Motorway Car Rentals lodged police reports on Dec 18 after Lai failed to return the cars, but he had already fled the country.

Only one out of four vehicles was recovered and no restitution had been made.

After leaving Singapore on Dec 15, 2004, Lai was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison for a drug related offence in China.

Among his accomplices, Koh Choon Siong has been apprehended while Steven Koh and Ng are still at large.

In sentencing, District Judge Low Wee Ping said Lai’s victims were “quite helpless in preventing these offences”.

“(Your offences) are alarming because it sounds so easy...Unless there is a strong deterrent sentence, others will be tempted to commit this offence, because other rental companies will be quite helpless,” said the judge, who added that the offences involved a sophisticated level of planning and several co-accused persons.

Pleading for leniency, defence lawyer Kannan SG said Lai was remorseful and had pleaded guilty at the very first instance. He also has to provide financially for his two children aged 14 and 19, the lawyer added.

For each charge of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, Lai could have been sentenced to seven years’ jail and fined. — TODAY