The man accused of robbery escaped sewerage after he was guilty of a reduced charity of theft

Singapore – a man accused of robbing The Tampines branch of a money authorized company escaped caning after being guilty for a reduced accusation of committing theft.

On March 7, Jose Manuel Pacheco, 40, was sentenced to one year and four months in prison, after pleading guilty for a number of theft, criminal intimidation and criminal violation.

The Australian could have been closed for up to 10 years and received at least six reed blows if he had been guilty for a robbery charges.

Instead, criminals sentenced to theft can be closed up to seven years old and fined.

The reasons for the basis of this reduced accusation were not disclosed in court on March 7.

However, public prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin told district judge Shen Wanqin that, following a mental health institute, it was found that Pacheco is suffering from a major depressive disorder, from moderate to severe.

It was also a contributory connection between its mental state and offensive behavior, the court heard.

DPP added: “(a doctor) evaluated the accused that he is solid at the time of the crime and was able to appreciate what he was doing and the mistake of his actions.”

The judicial documents said that in 2023, Pacheco was general manager at a food and drink company, working at three of his restaurants.

Despite winning $ 10,000 a month, he asked the company a monetary loan in February 2024, because he had to repay his debts to lenders without license.

His employer then agreed to grant him $ 25,300 on March 1 in that year.

As part of a transaction, Pacheco could reimburse the amount by monthly $ 2,000 deductions from his salary, until the loan was completely resolved.

But, on May 13, 2024, the company found over $ 9,000 missing from a restaurant he managed at that time.

When he faced, Pacheco lied to his employer, claiming that he forgot to deposit the money.

The company representatives later checked a safe at the restaurant and discovered that the sealed envelopes containing the restaurant took over.

Pacheco finally acknowledged that he had pockets the funds between March and May 2024 before using his earnings to reimburse his debts. He did not make any refund to the company.

Subsequently he told investigators that in the following month he hatched a plan for Rob Tampines Outlet of a Money Authorized Company, called CREDITED whereas “he needed desperate money” to repay his debts to authorized and licensed creditors.

On June 3, 2024, he armed himself with a knife, dressed a cap and a mask and went to the exit from Block 503 Tampines Central 1.

He showed the weapon to a 32 -year -old administrative employee and ordered him to place money in his bag. The woman was alone at that time, because her colleague was at noon.

DPP Jheong said: “He was threatened with seriously injured … The victim complied with the request for money and emptied (a bag) of cash, which was then introduced in his accused bag … Duffle.”

Dissatisfied, Pacheco ordered the woman to hand over more money.

Then he opened the cabinets and drawers at work to show him that there is no money there.

Pacheco left the exit around 13.45 and she NOTIFICATION Her colleague, who alerted the police.

The officers arrived at the scene shortly and found it on the package sitting on the goal bridge in the nearby block.

He recognized what he did and surrendered to the officers, who found more than $ 6,000 in cash in his bag.

On March 7, the lawyer of Defense Azri Imran Tan in the IRB law pleaded for his client to be granted no more than a year and three months in prison.

Mr. Tan said that Pacheco is sorry for what he did, adding: “Our customer took loans between 2,000 and $ 3,000 from five loan sharks. While the main amounts were repaid, the loan sharks mentioned continued to ask for illegal interest on the same thing, with its “debt” bloating at over $ 30,000. “

He added that Pacheco faced “significant and uninterrupted harassment”, including daily texts and calls, as well as repeated criminal threats and his family.

The lawyer told the court that his client has no money to settle his debts with the loan sharks, and the payments were due on the day theft.

Then he decided to target the authorized money company in Tampines, he heard the court.

• Shaffiq Alkhatib is the correspondent of the Straits Times court that mainly covers criminal cases heard at the state courts.

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