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Man stole car from drunk owner
03 Jun 2011
SOURCE: The Straits Times
An intoxicated pub-goer who fell asleep on a pavement in South Bridge Road on March 16 last year woke up to find his wallet and car key gone. His car, which had been parked nearby, was also gone.
Yesterday, the culprit who took his vehicle for a joy-ride, Satthiyan Anbarasan, 33, was jailed a year for the theft of the Toyota Axio, valued at $57,000.
A district court heard that businessman Lim Chee Kian, 42, had left a Circular Road pub at about 1am after spending time there with some friends.
The next thing he remembered was waking up on the pavement with his car key, $220, his cellphone, credit cards and an ATM card missing.
Seven months later, Satthiyan was picked up by police. His accomplice, Leo Rajmond Kristhu Raja, 33, was arrested two days after that.
Investigations revealed that after the pair had relieved Mr Lim of his belongings, they found his car parked in a nearby street by using the electronic car key.
They took it for a spin and abandoned it in Delta Avenue, near River Valley Road, where it was found 10 days later.
Leo Rajmond, a mover, has been fined $2,000 for taking Mr Lim’s wallet and its contents.
Satthiyan pleaded guilty to stealing the car and to driving it while still serving a two-year driving disqualification for drink-driving.
Satthiyan also had two unrelated offences – one for assault, and the other for criminal trespass – which tagged another eight months onto his jail time, bringing it to 20 months. He has also been barred from driving for four years.
The court heard he had been sentenced in 2001 to eight years’ jail and eight strokes of the cane for culpable homicide; he fatally stabbed his cousin, aged 22.
For car theft, he could have been jailed up to seven years and fined up to $10,000.
