Man who shot woman with revolver in 1981 armed robbery sentenced to jail
Chin Sheong Hon shot a woman and robbed her of S$92,000 before fleeing Singapore in 1981.
A general view of the Supreme Court in Singapore on Sep 23, 2022. (File photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)
SINGAPORE: A man who fled the country after committing a slew of armed robberies in 1981, including shooting a woman with a revolver for S$92,000, was sentenced by a court on Tuesday (Nov 15).
Chin Sheong Hon, now 72, was sentenced to 18 years' jail. He pleaded guilty to two charges in relation to the robberies, with a third charge taken into consideration.
He fled Singapore for Thailand after the robberies in 1981, returning to the country only in 2013 when he was repatriated.
However, the High Court in 2015 found that he was of unsound mind and incapable of making his defence.
He was detained pending an order by the minister and was discharged from this order in July 2021, after he was found to be fit to plead to the original charges.
The court heard that Chin committed a series of armed robberies in 1981.
In the first robbery, the chief cashier of Singapore Shuttle Bus left his office in Geylang on the morning of Jul 16, 1981.
He had with him more than S$16,000 in a briefcase and bag to deposit in a bank. The man went to his car, which was parked beside his office, and placed the money on the ground to retrieve his key.
Chin went up to the man and pressed a revolver to his waist, telling him not to raise an alarm. The man feared for his life and complied, handing over the money to Chin.
Chin later fled after a white van pulled up beside the victim's car. The victim made a police report.
On Nov 6, 1981, a woman left her office in Upper Thomson with a briefcase containing S$92,000 in cash and cheques. She was heading to a nearby bank with her brother to deposit her company's money.
As she was walking towards the bank, Chin came up to her and shot her with a revolver.
The woman collapsed and Chin grabbed the briefcase and fled with the victim's brother in pursuit. Chin left the scene after another person on a motorcycle picked him up.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound, a ruptured stomach and lacerations to her lower lung.
CHIN'S MENTAL CONDITION
A report by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) dated January this year found that Chin has a longstanding history of delusional disorder.
Chin was diagnosed with this disorder in 2015 after he was repatriated to Singapore from Thailand.
The previous IMH report in May 2015 referenced a dementing illness and brain damage, but Chin was objectively observed thereafter to be "entirely lucid", the court heard.
His cognitive functions are intact and he does not suffer from a dementing illness, but has to be monitored.
However, Chin was found to lack insight into his mental illness and complies with taking medication only as a consequence of being incarcerated.
He is of unstable character, with a risk that he will commit offences of a similar nature in the foreseeable future due to his ongoing chronic mental illness, the court heard.
The IMH report said he will benefit from being held in a secure and structured environment to ensure ongoing compliance with his psychiatric treatment.
Chin, who appeared in court with a shaven head and wearing a purple prison jumpsuit, interjected and said: "I am very remorseful for what I have done."
Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh asked for life imprisonment for Chin. He said that Chin had made off with a total of about S$110,000 and remained at large for more than 30 years.
