Man, 39, accused of housebreaking jumps bail, arrest warrant issued, Singapore News
A Chinese national facing charges for breaking into a private residence and stealing over $570,000 worth of jewellery has jumped bail.
An arrest warrant has been issued to Long Zhihua, 39, after he failed to turn up for a pre-trial conference on May 23.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Courts said that Long has been uncontactable since April 5, four days after he was granted bail.
Long, a member of a housebreaking syndicate, had broken into a home on Windsor Park Road on June 21, 2024, with his accomplice, Luo Changchang, 44.
They were arrested five days after the heist, before they had planned to fly back to China on June 29.
Several stolen items were found in their hotel room in Geylang, but the victim, a 53-year-old woman, still suffered a loss as more than $390,000 in jewellery remains missing.
According to court documents, Long and Luo initially pleaded guilty last December and were awaiting sentencing, but retracted their plea, prompting the court to schedule a pre-trial conference.
Long, who had been granted bail, failed to show up in court on April 25.
He did turn not turn up to the rescheduled pre-trial conference on May 23, which led to the arrest warrant being issued.
Meanwhile, Luo has remained in remand since his arrest. His case is scheduled to be be heard again on July 25.
Offenders convicted of housebreaking can be jailed up to 10 years, and fined.
[[nid:697687]]
chingshijie@asiaone.com
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