This Article is From Jun 06, 2017

Thai Court Jails Singapore Bank 'Note' Robber For 14 Months

David Roach strolled into a Standard Chartered bank branch last July, handed the teller a scrap of paper and walked off with the cash.

Thai Court Jails Singapore Bank 'Note' Robber For 14 Months

Canadian man sentenced to 14 months in jail by Thai court for bank robbery.

Bangkok: A Thai court on Tuesday sentenced a Canadian man to 14 months in jail for crimes linked to a rare bank robbery in Singapore where he allegedly used nothing more than a threatening note to steal $22,000.

According to authorities in Singapore, a city-state with one of the world's lowest crime rates, David Roach strolled into a Standard Chartered bank branch last July, handed the teller a scrap of paper and walked off with the cash.

The 28-year-old then fled to Bangkok where he was arrested a few days later in a hostel.

On Tuesday a Thai criminal court convicted Roach of violating money laundering and customs laws by bringing the loot into the country.

"The suspect confessed to all charges during the investigation process," the judge said.

Roach has been held in a Bangkok jail since his July 2016 arrest.

Bank robberies are extremely rare in Singapore, whose zero-tolerance stance to crime has made it one of Asia's safest cities.

Singapore and Thailand do not have an extradition treaty but share close diplomatic ties.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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