In a joint press release from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and Singapore Police Force (SPF), authorities announced that the suspect, David James Roach, of a Standard Chartered Bank robbery in 2016, is being extradited to Singapore from United Kingdom (U.K.).

Who is David James Roach?

In Jul. 2016, the 26-year-old Canadian Roach made headlines after he was suspected of robbing the Holland Village branch of Standard Chartered bank of $30,000 on Jul 7, 2016.

Roach was caught on CCTV at a nearby cafe ordering a cake and a bottle of water.

Arrested in Thailand in 2017 and deported to UK after his sentence

In 2017, Roach once again made headlines in Thailand, where he was jailed 14 months in Bangkok for money laundering and violating currency regulations.

In Jan. 2018, he was arrested in UK after he was deported by Thai authorities at the end of his jail sentence.

UK High Court dismissed Roach's appeal against his extradition to S'pore on Feb. 4, 2020

According to the press statement, Roach has appealed since 2018 in the UK high courts against efforts to extradite him to Singapore.

On Feb. 4, 2020, his appeal was unsuccessful and the Singapore authorities are now working closely with the UK authorities to coordinate his extradition to Singapore.

In Singapore, Roach will face charges for robbery and money laundering.

In the joint statement by AGC and SPF, they stated:

The Singapore authorities will do whatever is necessary and permissible within our legal framework to seek justice against those who commit crimes in Singapore, regardless of nationality and where they might have fled to. We will also not hesitate to take firm action against these individuals, and will seek an appropriate sentence if they are convicted.

Top photo by Bangkok immigration authorities