SINGAPORE – A former Scotts Square condominium building manager was on Tuesday (Nov 9) ordered to undergo mandatory treatment order for 18 months, after he used an access card to enter residents’ homes and steal from them.
This means Teh Jiahe, now 37, who had major depressive disorder, will undergo treatment in lieu of jail time.
The Singaporean had stolen $28,000 in cash and three Hermes handbags worth nearly $86,000 in total.
He pleaded guilty last month to three counts of theft committed in three homes.
Two other counts of theft linked to two apartments were considered during sentencing.
He had stolen a pair of shoes worth $2,000 and two books from these two units. The books were How To Find Flower Fairies and The Tale Of Peter Rabbit: A Pop-up Adventure.
His offences were committed between March and Sept 7 last year.
In a statement to The Straits Times, real estate consulting company Edmund Tie & Co (SEA) that manages Scotts Square said Teh left the firm on Sept 10 last year.
Without revealing any details, its spokesman also said additional measures have been implemented to ensure similar offences will not happen again.
Scotts Square – a 43-storey development in Scotts Road – has 338 units. One-bedroom units are being offered on the resale market in excess of $2 million, while three-bedroom units are on the market for nearly $5 million.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jaime Pang had said Teh’s job scope included managing the property’s facilities and dealing with residents’ complaints.
He also had use of a computer system which coded access cards that allowed entry into residents’ homes.
The court heard that Teh had to create such an access card three years before the offences took place because he had forgotten to bring the one issued to him to work.
Court documents do not state if the card, which was originally issued to Teh, allowed him access to all the residents’ homes.
Teh was on duty in March last year when he entered a private lift that led directly to one of the apartments. Once he was inside, he stole an Hermes handbag worth $10,900.
In May last year, he entered another apartment and discovered several envelopes in a cabinet. He took two of them, which contained $28,000 in total.
Teh later deposited the sum into his bank account.
He used the access card and entered a third apartment the following month.
This time, he stole two Hermes bags, a ring and a watch worth $87,000 in total.
Court documents do not reveal how Teh’s offences came to light but the police started their investigation into the case on Sept 8 last year.
Officers arrested him soon after and one of the Hermes bags was recovered from his home.
For each count of theft, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
