Robbing a bank seems like something that only happens in the movie.

The robber typically walks in with a ski mask on his face and an empty black bag in his hand and pulls out a gun, demanding all the money in the bank. 

Here in Singapore, where guns are illegal, robbers have to resort to other means of intimidation to get what they want.

For one Canadian who arrived here in 2016, his weapon of choice was a piece of paper. 

Man Robbed Bank with a Piece of Paper

On 29 June that year, David James Roach arrived in Singapore on a social visit pass and went on to stay at different hostels in the Chinatown area.

Most people come to Singapore to have Chicken Rice or stay at Marina Bay Sands, but Roach had a slightly different itinerary: robbing a bank. 

He finally put his plan into action on 7 July, when he entered a Standard Chartered Bank branch in Holland Avenue.

He approached the bank cashier with his right hand in a bag that he placed on the counter and showed the cashier a handwritten note that said:

“This is a robbery, I have a gun in my bag”.

Now, unless you’re Dwayne Johnson starring in an action movie, you’re probably going to fear for your life, which is exactly what the cashier did, especially so because she was pregnant.

So, she complied with his instructions.

Roach fled Singapore hours after the robbery, taking a flight out of Changi Airport.

He was tracked via security footage and DNA from the room where he was staying. A bank ticket stub later revealed his identity, but there was one problem: he was already in another country.

In that same month, believe it or not, Roach was arrested in Thailand and sentenced to 14 months’ jail for violating money laundering and other Thai Customs laws.

Singapore had made an extradition request but the Thai government rejected it, as the two countries did not have an extradition treaty in place.

Things changed when Roach was deported from Thailand in 2018. At Singapore’s request, he was detained in London while en route to Canada, and extradited to Singapore last year.

Yes, he almost made it home and escaped punishment. 

Gets 5 Years Jail & 6 Strokes of Cane, But He Might Not Be Caned

Yesterday (7 July), the now 31-year-old was sentenced to five years’ jail and six strokes of the cane.

However, he may not be caned as the Singapore Government made an agreement with the UK authorities that any corporal sentence would not be carried out as part of the extradition proceedings.

This is because UK’s extradition laws would prohibit the extradition of Roach to Singapore unless such an assurance was given.

Nevertheless, the Singapore authorities maintained that this does not affect it’s “long-held view that such punishment does not constitute torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or contravene international law.”

Roach has made no restitution so far.

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