NSFs placed on probation for stealing about S$970 worth of Pokemon trading cards

SINGAPORE — Having successfully stolen a number of Pokemon trading cards from a gift shop at Tanglin Mall on June 12 last year, two full-time national servicemen (NSFs) decided to steal more of the cards on at least two other occasions.

However, their luck in catching Pokemon for free ran out on June 18. By then, the duo had stolen close to S$970 worth of cards.

Pokemon, based on a video game, has spawned a franchise that include trading card games, and fans have been known to collect, swop or sell trading cards.

On Wednesday (Jan 12), Benjamin Chua Yuu Zhe, 20, was sentenced to 12 months’ supervised probation and was also ordered to perform 40 hours of community service.

Chua already pleaded guilty to three theft-related charges on Nov 10 last year, with nine other similar charges taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Chua's grandfather also put up a S$5,000 bond to ensure his grandson’s good behaviour.

The other accused, Joshua Marcus Lee Zhanhong, 20, was given a similar sentence on Dec 8 after admitting to similar charges. 

Both men have since made full restitution.

THE CASE

State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Ting Nge Kong told the court that surveillance footage from a shop at Tanglin Mall showed the two men stealing various boxes of Pokemon trading cards and hiding them in their bags as they walked out of the store on the afternoon of June 12. 

The items stolen ranged between S$54.90 and S$249.90 — the cost of a box of trading cards called “Sword & Shield”.

On June 14, the men travelled to the Pokemon Centre shop in the Jewel retail complex at Changi Airport and stole more than S$199 worth of trading cards using a similar approach.

They returned to the store two days later on June 16 and stole another S$270 of cards. 

A store manager, who noticed that items were missing from the shop, made a police report after reviewing surveillance footage. 

Chua and Lee were finally caught on June 18, when they again returned to the store with the intention to steal.

SPO Ting said that a staff member spotted the duo behaving suspiciously and recognised them from the store’s surveillance footage.

The police were informed of their presence and the men were eventually arrested. 

The stolen items were recovered from their respective homes. 

District Judge Christopher Goh, who presided over both men’s hearings, told Chua on Wednesday that he does not expect to see the man back in court for any other misdemeanor.

“I’ll be very honest with you. I looked at what happened in this case… This may be an aberration from your normal course of events,” the judge said.

In any case, he added that should Chua reoffend, the “consequences will be more severe”.

When asked by the judge what his plans were for the future, Chua said that he intended to pursue his tertiary education.

District Judge Goh said: “Keep your nose clean and when it is over, look forward.”

For each charge of theft, both Chua and Lee could have been jailed up to three years, or fined, or both.