Loan-shark runner who threw fake poop at hawker stall gets jailed and caned

  Having not been provided with the necessary materials, loan-shark runner Mr Sittaraman Sam Kris Carbonel ended up tossing a sweet treat in replacement of actual faeces - a brownish mixture of melted chocolate, kaya and green tea. However, the consequence that he was facing was nothing sweet, with 16 months’ jail and six strokes of the cane awaited, reported by Yahoo News. The 26-year-old Filipino was sentenced on Tuesday (7 November) at the State Courts. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment under the Moneylenders Act and an unrelated charge of criminal intimidation. Three other similar charges under the Moneylenders Act and one other criminal intimidation charge were taken into consideration during sentencing. According to the court, Mr Carbonel was impoverished and desperate, the reason why he decided to "work" as a runner for an unlicensed moneylender known as "Larry", after he was approached by Sabtu Yazid, a 25-year-old Singaporean whom he got to know in March 2017. His job scope is the standard way of chasing up debts, such as splashing paint at debtors’ places of residence, using bicycle locks to lock up their homes and scribbling messages on their walls.

Mr Carbonel had carried out four separate missions between 11.30pm on 24 July and 7am on 25 July at different HDB blocks in Bukit Panjang, Boon Lay, Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East, earning $200 per assignment.

Throwing chocolate mixture was under his fifth assignment, carried out at a Food Centre in Pasir Panjang, and made him pay $300.

This was not the first time - prior to being a loan-shark runner, Mr Carbonel had been arrested on 2 April for attempting to attack his brother – 25-year-old Cliford Carbonel Sitaraman – while holding a knife.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Amanda Sum said that Mr Carbonel became upset with his brother for raising his voice at Mr Carbonel’s child. He also accused his brother of not attending to his child when the child was crying.

DPP Sum had asked for the court to impose a sentence of two months for the criminal intimidation charge, and 14 months and six strokes for the harassment charges.

Mr Carbonel’s lawyer, T. M. Sinnadurai, said in mitigation that his client was remorseful for his actions. He added that Cliford had forgiven him for his actions and that the brothers are still living together.

For criminal intimidation, Mr Carbonel could have been jailed up to two years and fined. For each charge under the Moneylenders Act, he could have been jailed up to five years and fined between $5,000 and $50,000.