Seven years' jail for armed robbers

Dateline: Lion City 

THE three armed robbers who set off a massive manhunt in March when they landed on Pulau Tekong, were all jailed for seven years on Thursday and ordered to be caned 12 strokes. 

In sentencing them, Senior District Judge Richard Magnus said they were no “ordinary domestic criminals” and had “displayed an alarming bravado.” 

Deputy Public Prosecutors Lee Cheow Han and Wayne Koh told the court that Mohamad Hassan Awang, 26, a Malaysian, and two Indonesians, Moh Gunawan Hendro, 25, and Herman, 23, committed two robberies in Malaysia and fled the country on March 18. 

They stole a motorised sampan and headed for Batam, Indonesia, but they were pursued by Malaysian police and that made them change course. 

They landed on Pulau Tekong, which is used for military training, at a 8.45am, split up and took cover in the forested area after Gunawan handed over a pistol in a pouch to Herman. 

Herman took out the gun and buried it in the south-eastern part of the island. 

Alerted by Malaysian police, more than 1,200 Singapore policemen and soldiers descended on Pulau Tekong to flush out the robbers. 

They found Gunawan hiding in the bushes the very next day.  

A day later, Hassan and Herman were arrested. – The Straits Times/ Asia News Network