Chua Jun Yong, 20, pleaded guilty to five charges including three under the Moneylenders Act, one under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act and two traffic-related offences. He was urged by the judge to quickly decide if he wanted to plead guilty, a day before he turned 21. Another three charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing.
He was involved in three cases of loan shark harassment, including one on Apr 9 during the “circuit breaker” period when leaving the house for non-essential activities was not allowed. He was paid $150 per job, and his job was to harass debtors. The $150 paid to him would be deducted from his outstanding loan he owed to the loan shark.
He would lock the gates of debtors with a bicycle lock and he would scribble “O$P$” and together with the debtors details at the lift landing. He rented a car to drive to the locations which he harassed but he did not have a valid driving license.
Offenders under 21 are considered young offenders and can be given sentences such as probation or reformative training. Chua will return to court for sentencing on Jun 9.