snoozy

HE escaped from the Singapore Boys' Home.
The teenager then allegedly went on a crime spree and was arrested and brought to court to face eight charges.

They include escaping from the home, theft, robbery and molest.

Afiq Affendi, 16, was charged with escaping from the Boys' Home, located in Jurong West, on 25 Oct at about 8.30pm.

His crime spree started 11 days later.

On 5 Nov at around 3am, Afiq, together with a male accomplice, allegedly stole a Nokia handphone worth $150 from a man at Bedok North Street 1.

ROBBED WITH KNIFE

On the same day at around 3.50pm, Afiq, together with three accomplices, allegedly robbed two teenage victims at knifepoint at the staircase landing of Toa Payoh bus interchange.

Armed with a 40cm-long knife, they were accused of robbing the victims of their handphones, worth around $400 and $330 each.

Then two days later, at about 11.15pm, Afiq and an accomplice allegedly targeted a 17-year-old girl at Toa Payoh Town Park.

She lost cash and valuables worth about $140.

The items included $20 cash, an MP3 player, a bag and several ATM cards.

The New Paper understands that Afiq was arrested that night.

His four accomplices, all believed to be youths, have also been arrested. Only Afiq was from the Boys' Home.

He also faces three charges for offences he allegedly committed last year.

He is accused of stealing nine Hari Raya red packets containing $2 each from a flat at Block 617, Bedok Reservoir Road, on 30 Apr last year.

He also allegedly stole four gold bangles worth $1,800 from the same unit on the same day.

On 8 Jun last year, he allegedly stole valuables from a flat at Block 402, Bedok North Avenue 3.

These included a $4,000 Rolex watch, two gold bangles worth $3,000 and a $2,000 necklace.

Afiq is also accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl on 21 Apr last year by grabbing her buttock while they were at the common corridor of a school.

In all, Afiq faces eight charges. A further pre-trial conference has been fixed for 20 Dec.

If convicted of armed robbery, he faces at least five years in jail and
12 strokes of the cane.

He is the second boy from the Home to be taken to court within the month.

On 6 Nov, a former resident was jailed five years and given 24 strokes of the cane for robbing taxi drivers.

Maria Dass Pandi Rasan, 16, was on weekend leave from the home when he and several friends robbed a cabby at knifepoint on 23 Jul.

They stabbed the driver twice in the shoulder before fleeing with $200.

They assaulted another cabby several hours later.

Maria Dass' accomplices were sent for reformative training.

At a court hearing early last month, Maria Dass had threatened District Judge Bala Reddy: 'If I see you outside, I'll beat you up.'