A 59-year-old karang guni worker was fined S$2,500 after stealing a sugarcane juicing machine worth around S$2,000 from Redhill Food Centre and later selling it for as little as S$20.
Yeo Hoe Chye pleaded guilty in court on Aug. 14, 2026, to one charge of criminal breach of trust. A second charge involving the theft of other items was taken into consideration during sentencing, Lianhe Zaobao reported.
The court heard that Yeo had not compensated the owner for the stolen equipment. He was allowed to pay S$500 of the fine immediately, with the remaining S$2,000 to be settled over four instalments. The final payment is due on Dec. 14, 2026. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve one week in prison.
Sugarcane Machine Left Outside Food Stall
The incident happened on Apr. 3, 2025, at Redhill Food Centre. At around 8.30pm, a 35-year-old female stall assistant was preparing to return a sugarcane juicer to its supplier.
Rather than leaving the machine inside the stall, she placed the equipment on a table outside, intending for the supplier to collect it. The machine was valued at approximately S$2,000.
Later that night, at about 10.58pm, Yeo, who was eating in the vicinity, noticed the unattended machine. He subsequently used a cart to move the sugarcane juicer away from the food centre. CCTV footage captured him removing the equipment.
The following morning, the stall assistant returned at around 10.20am and noticed that the machine was no longer where she had left it. She initially believed that the supplier had already collected it and therefore did not immediately report the matter.
Machine Sold For Just S$20 To S$30
The situation came to light two days later when the supplier arrived on Apr. 5 to collect the sugarcane juicer. The machine was nowhere to be found, prompting the stall assistant to contact the police.
Investigations subsequently established that Yeo had taken the equipment. He later sold the S$2,000 machine for only between S$20 and S$30, representing a tiny fraction of its original value.
Despite the court proceedings, Yeo had not made restitution for the stolen machine at the time of sentencing. The case highlights how seemingly valuable commercial equipment can be quickly disposed of for a comparatively small amount of money.
Yeo was also linked to another theft incident. According to court documents, he was accused of taking an aluminium ladder, a blue office chair and a bag containing gardening and household tools from outside a unit at Redhill Close.
That alleged theft took place on Oct. 25, 2025, at around 7.18pm. The charge was taken into consideration by the court when Yeo was sentenced for the sugarcane machine offence.
The case serves as a reminder for food stall operators and businesses to take precautions when temporarily storing expensive equipment outside their premises. Items such as commercial juicers, cooking appliances and other machinery can represent significant financial losses if stolen, even when they are left unattended for only a short period.
For businesses, recovering the replacement cost of commercial equipment can also be considerably more expensive than the resale value a thief receives. In this case, a machine worth about S$2,000 was allegedly sold for no more than S$30.