76-year-old Yee Kiee Song has been convicted nine times since October 1963 for housebreaking and theft.
He will now serve a nine-year preventive detention sentence for another offence of breaking into a coffee shop on 29 December 2023.
Yee pleaded guilty to two charges of housebreaking on Thursday (1 Aug).
People sentenced to preventive detention can be kept in jail for anywhere from seven to 20 years.
To get preventive detention, offenders must be over 30 years old, previously imprisoned, and be deemed fit for the sentence.
TODAY reported that Yee was previously given a 20-year preventive detention after his last crime in 2003.
He was released from jail in November 2023.
After his release, Yee reportedly used up all his money on beer and everyday needs, which led him to commit the burglary.
Upon surveying a Serangoon coffee shop for a few days before the crime, Yee noticed that it did not have locked back doors.
On 29 December, Yee waited until the coffee shop closed, then climbed over the back wall at around 1.30am.
He lifted the unlocked shutter and went into the coffee shop.
Once inside, Yee stole about S$200 and 100 ringgit (S$29) from a drawer at the drinks stall.
Yee then went to another area in the shop that sold Indian food and broke a padlocked drawer with a plastic scoop and four metal spoons before stealing S$6,450 cash from it.
He wrapped the stolen money in a white cloth and put it in the heater of the stall. However, he forgot about the money and left it there.
At around 1.45am, Yee climbed back over the rear wall to leave the scene.
He was identified and arrested on 2 January.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Suriya Prakash said Yee had not shown any regret for his crimes.
DPP Suriya said Yee has rarely been out of prison for long since 1969, and he had usually committed crimes after his release from a previous sentence.
His recent crimes after being released last year proved that the previous 20-year sentence was needed to keep the public safe.
That said, the prosecution noted that if Yee were given another 20-year sentence, he would be 96 years old when he got out.
Considering the average life expectancy of 85 years, Mr Don Tan, Yee’s lawyer, requested a sentence of approximately eight and a half years.
Yee would then have six months to age 85 in civil society after his release.
District Judge Hairul Hakkim stated that a nine-year preventive detention was appropriate.
Also read: Man Wearing Plastic Bag Breaks Into Tiong Bahru Kopitiam, Faces Up To 10 Years’ Jail
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