More years for loan shark runner

[chobolan]

Nov 20, 2010

More years for loan shark runner

He gets 4 1/2 years' jail for torching HDB flat doors, up from 3 years

By Selina Lum

THE High Court yesterday sent out a strong message that loan shark runners who harass debtors by setting fire to their doors will be dealt with severely by the courts. In the first case of harassment by fire to go to the High Court, Justice Steven Chong increased the jail term of 24-year-old Nelson Jeyaraj Chandran from three years to 4 1/2 years.

The prosecution had appealed to the High Court on the five harassment charges against the loan shark runner, arguing for a deterrent sentence. In August, Jeyaraj had pleaded guilty to six charges under the Moneylenders Act, of which five were for acts of harassment by using kerosene to set fire to the doors of five HDB flats.

Four other charges were taken into account during sentencing. On each of the five harassment charges, he was sentenced to a year in jail and three strokes of the cane. Three of the terms were to run consecutively.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
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[chobolan]

Firestarter gets increased jail term


Firestarter gets increased jail term

by Ong Dai Lin
12:56 AM Nov 20, 2010

His attacks, done in the dead of night, could have seriously injured innocent people.

That convinced the High Court that loanshark runner, Nelson Jeyaraj Chandran, 24, who had set fire to debtors' doors should have his 36-month jail term increased to 54 months.

Nelson had been paid $150 for every flat he set fire to and was arrested on April 29, after having caused damage valued at $4,500.

He had been jailed three years and given 15 strokes of the cane. He was also fined $30,000 for helping his 'boss' check a lift lobby in Toa Payoh for evidence of activity by other unlicensed moneylenders.

On Friday, the prosecution appealed against the sentence. Justice Steven Chong ruled that Nelson's jail sentence was manifestly inadequate. He said Nelson had burnt the victims' doors between 1am and 5am when they were asleep. He said there was little chance of the fire being discovered and people could have gotten hurt.

A deterrent message was necessary to show that such offences would not be tolerated, said the judge.

Nelson told the court he had tried to minimise damage by pouring the kerosene on a rag instead of splashing it on the door like as he had been instructed.

Ong Dai Lin