SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced to eight days’ jail on Monday (Oct 28) for stealing a stingray worth S$1,380 (US$1,040) from a fish farm.
Lee De Yuan pleaded guilty to one count of theft.
The court heard that Lee was unemployed when he came across a deliveryman, 47-year-old Toh Yew Wee, at a coffee shop in Yishun on Jan 21.
They began chatting about their common interests in fish and aquariums.
Toh then suggested visiting Qian Hui Fish Farm in Jalan Lekar to look at fish, and Lee agreed to drive them there in his lorry.
The pair arrived at the fish farm at about 2.15pm and walked around looking at the fish in the tanks.
Lee saw some stingrays in a display tank and “developed a liking for the stingrays”, said the prosecutor.
When no one was looking, he quickly fished out an albino diamond stingray using a net and kept it inside his waist pouch.
Two days later, a manager at Qian Hu Fish Farm called the police, saying: “Case of shop theft reported, stingray has been stolen. Our CCTV captured the person.”
Lee was arrested later that same day.
The stingray was not recovered. Lee claimed that he had thrown it away, as it had died. He did not make any restitution.
For theft, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.
Toh faces a similar charge and his case is pending.
