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Man who criticised Traffic Police officer jailed for stealing underwear, other offences

SINGAPORE — A man who was widely condemned for seemingly gloating over the death of a Traffic Police officer was sentenced to 18 months’ jail on Tuesday (Sept 11) for various offences, including threatening his girlfriend with a sex tape, stealing underwear and shoplifting.

SINGAPORE — A man who was widely condemned for seemingly gloating over the death of a Traffic Police officer was sentenced to 18 months’ jail on Tuesday (Sept 11) for various offences, including threatening his girlfriend with a sex tape, stealing underwear and shoplifting.

Thomas Chua Poh Heng, 40, whose profession is not known, pleaded guilty to six charges last month, and eight counts of similar offences were taken into consideration for sentencing purposes.

He was arrested on June 4 last year after being caught by employees from Mustafa Centre for stealing a bottle of perfume valued at S$98.

At about 5am that day, security officers at the shopping centre in Little India noted an alarm tag ringing in the perfume section. They saw Chua and started trailing him.

Chua quickly began making his way out, but was called by a security officer. He then bolted out of Mustafa Centre, but was eventually detained by security officers outside.

Chua took out the perfume bottle from his pants pocket and claimed he wanted to pay for it.

THREATENED GIRLFRIEND WITH SEX TAPE

The court also heard that Chua took from his girlfriend a POSB Go! Debit card belonging to someone called Lin Zhong.

His girlfriend, 36, had found the debit card at an ATM in Vista Point Shopping Centre in Woodlands on April 26 last year, and had wanted to return the card to the bank. But Chua took the card from her with the intention of using it.

That same day, he went to two nightspots in Geylang and spent more than S$1,000 on alcohol.

The next afternoon, Chua sent a threatening text message to his girlfriend — who cannot be named due to a court order — telling her not to report the incident to the police. Court documents stated that he said: “If you ever report or leak anything about me... I make sure you will be super famous, even more than a porn star or any person."

He then sent her a video, nearly two minutes long, of them having sex.

The court was told that the video was filmed a few days earlier with her consent, and that the woman was identifiable in the clip.

It is not known if she made a police report about it.

STOLE UNDERWEAR FROM SPA

On Nov 26 last year, Chua was at a spa in Resorts World Sentosa to book an appointment when he noticed a pair of underwear priced at S$118. He wanted it, but could not afford to buy it.

After making sure that no one was watching, he stole the underwear and put it in his pocket before leaving the spa.

The underwear was never recovered, but he has made restitution for it.

Chua was widely condemned by online users last year after he criticised Traffic Police officer Nadzrie Matin, 29, believing that the officer had issued him a ticket.

Staff Sergeant Nadzrie was killed while on duty after an accident along Serangoon Road in June last year.

His remarks about the late officer were also criticised by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, who called Chua “sick in the head”.

Mr Shanmugam posted a screen capture of Chua's Facebook post and wrote: "Thomas was gloating about Nadzrie’s death, because Nazdrie had given him a ticket!"

He added: “You wonder what human decency people like Thomas have — to be so self-centred, smug and making nasty remarks about an officer who died doing his duty. While there is a completely distraught wife, grieving parents and family, and teammates who are crying."

Chua is believed to have committed traffic offences previously, but was never issued summons by Staff Sergeant Nadzrie.

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