Lu’s court hearing shows that the theft occurred several days after Lu searched the shop. Lu then returned to the location with Luo while He remained outside.
While Luo was talking to a male worker about gold jewelry, Lu talked the feminine worker into retrieving diamond rings from a glass case.
Luo allegedly positioned himself in a way that prevented the worker from seeing Lu when Lu gave him the signal.
While the worker was distracted, Lu placed the 3-carat diamond ring in his pocket and left the shop, then took a taxi to Woodlands Checkpoint.
Luo and He left the mall in several directions.
Singapore arrests Chinese national after stealing $80,000 on flight to Hong Kong
Singapore arrests Chinese national after stealing $80,000 on flight to Hong Kong
Lu and He then left Singapore by bus via Woodlands Checkpoint. The pair were later arrested in Malaysia.
Luo left Singapore via Changi Airport and remained at large for several months. Court records show he was later arrested and has been in custody since November 2023.
Luo was expected to plead guilty on Friday. He appeared in court via video link from custody.
He had two questions for the court. He desired to know the difference between the amended charge and the previous charge and whether his latest charge could possibly be amended to indicate that he had inadvertently assisted within the theft.
After explaining the difference between the costs, Assistant Prosecutor James Chew told him the charge couldn’t be amended in this manner since the offense of aiding and abetting required the incitement to be intentional.
Luo then told the court through a Mandarin translator: “I am a law-abiding Chinese citizen and I am the legal representative of the company. The theft had already been committed, but I stupidly got involved in this case.
“I did not incite. There was no common intention. I’m already 50 years old, I have never committed any crime. However, I unintentionally assisted in the theft, so I plead guilty.”
Singapore jails domestic employee for stealing employer’s valuables value $43,000
Singapore jails domestic employee for stealing employer’s valuables value $43,000
He claimed he never knew Lu and He until he met them at a casino in Singapore.
“Before coming to Singapore, I didn’t have their numbers. I haven’t known this person Lu or He for the past 50 years. I don’t know them, I don’t have their contact information, WeChat or phone number,” Luo said.
District Judge Lee Lit Cheng asked: “So you didn’t know they were planning to steal the diamond ring and you didn’t help them intentionally?”
“Yes,” Luo replied. “Also, I do not know once they got here to Singapore.”
The judge then stated that she couldn’t accept his guilty plea.
Upon hearing this, Luo said he desired to plead guilty to get it over with and didn’t wish to “fight” the case.
Singapore jails Chinese for stealing casino chips with glue on their hands
Singapore jails Chinese for stealing casino chips with glue on their hands
The judge repeated her explanation several times that she couldn’t accept his guilty plea because he insisted that he had no intention of inciting against the law.
After several exchanges, she sent the case back to a pre-trial conference.
Lu pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 2 years and eight months in prison in November.
He, who was not involved in distracting anyone or stealing the ring, was given a stern warning.
