SINGAPORE: A food deliveryman borrowed from loan sharks to fund his habit of paying for his friends’ meals and later helped the illegal moneylenders harass debtors to pay off his debt.
When his mother refused to ask his aunt for money, he threw a television set and a wooden bench down from a sixth-floor flat.
Abu Zar Ghifari Tarmudi, 36, was sentenced to two years and eight months’ jail, and 12 strokes of the cane on Thursday (Mar 2).
He pleaded guilty to six charges including offences related to loan shark harassment as well as a rash act endangering human life.
The court heard that Abu earned a daily salary of S$80 to S$100 as a food deliveryman.
In June 2022, he started borrowing from loan sharks to fund his habit of paying for his friends’ meals.
He started to default on the payments and ignored the loan sharks, even though they harassed and threatened him and his family.
On Aug 30, 2022, he argued with his mother in their sixth-floor flat in Punggol because she refused to help him ask his aunt for money.
In the heat of the moment, he threw three cups, a flask, a bowl, a television set and a wooden bench out of the living room window.
Abu was charged for this offence in September 2022.
OFFENDED WHILE ON BAIL
A month later, while out on bail, he tried to borrow money from another loan shark known as Darren.
Darren said Abu had outstanding loans of about S$3,000 owed to other loan sharks, so he told him that he would not loan him any money.
Instead, Darren offered Abu a job to harass debtors for him. Abu would be paid S$150 for every house he threw paint at, and S$200 for every house he threw paint at on top of locking their gate.
Abu accepted this offer to clear his debts.
Over two days in October 2022, he harassed debtors in various ways including splashing paint at their doors and locking their gates.
In particular, he hung a piece of raw pork on the gate of a unit that had a Muslim occupant.
JUDGE QUESTIONS HIM
In court on Thursday, District Judge Eddy Tham asked Abu why he hung raw pork at the unit.
Abu, who was remanded, claimed that he was forced to as a loan shark had sent “pork rice” to his mother’s home.
The prosecutor sought between 30 and 32 months’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for Abu.
He was sentenced in 2013 for a similar charge of a rash act endangering human life, and reoffended while on bail.
Abu said he regretted his mistakes and would not repeat them again.
Judge Tham told him that the rash act offence was “particularly egregious” as bulky items were thrown from height.
“The consequences would’ve been tragic if these objects landed on any innocent passer-by below,” he said. “You are more culpable in that you had already been jailed before for a similar offence and that did not deter you.”
He said that Abu was not able to afford “this kind of lifestyle treating your friends”, and said this was an example of “short-term thinking without realising the long-term consequences”.
Judge Tham said he hoped Abu would have a more meaningful life after his release.