A man broke into his friend's house during the circuit breaker period with the intention to annoy him, ransacking his bedroom and taking off with his friend's pet tortoise, which he claimed haad been promised to him.

Broke into friend's house, stole tortoise

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the accused, Roger Khoo Zhen Xuan, 36, was charged with criminal trespass and another charge under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020.

On May 23, 2020, Khoo went to the victim's house, and claimed that he went there to retrieve the tortoise that the victim had promised him.

However, his friend, the victim, did not promise to give him a tortoise.

When he reached the victim’s house, Khoo saw that the victim was not at home.

He then broke into and entered his house with the intention to annoy his friend, and proceeded to ransack the victim's bedroom and stole his tortoise, valued at about S$2.50.

Before he left the victim’s house, he called a locksmith to repair the broken front door.

Friend called police

When the victim returned home, he noticed that the metal gate to his house was askew and that the wooden latch on his door was broken.

He saw that his bedroom was in a mess and that his pet tortoise was missing.

When he checked his phone, he saw that Khoo had posted a picture of himself and the tortoise on social media claiming that he (Khoo) had gotten a new pet.

The victim then called the police at around 11:54pm on the same day, stating that his house was broken into, and that the accused "is mentally unsound".

The tortoise has since been returned to its owner.

Pleaded guilty to criminal trespass

A psychiatric report from last year stated that Khoo has bipolar disorder, according to DPP Alexandria Shamini Joseph, and was suffering from an episode of manic relapse at the time of the offence, reported The Straits Times.

Khoo has pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal trespass on Jan. 21, 2021, according to ST.

His defence lawyer added that his client was on medication and undergoing treatment.

The judge called for a Mandatory Treatment Order suitability report, which the prosecutor did not object to.

Khoo is currently out on S$10,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court on Mar. 1, 2021 to receive his sentence.

For criminal trespass, Khoo could be jailed for up to three months, or fined up to S$1,500, or both.

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