S'pore teen, 18, climbs into 13th-floor neighbour's flat after 1am to steal S$900 for gambling

When a male teenager needed money for gambling in 2023, he decided to steal from his upstairs neighbour.

Over the course of six months, he climbed into his neighbour's flat on the 13th floor from his kitchen window on the 12th floor at least five times, reported Shin Min Daily News.

In total, he stole around S$900.

The boy's crimes came to light after his neighbour's CCTV surveillance camera captured his deeds.

On Jan. 12, 2026, the boy, now 18, pleaded guilty to five charges, including housebreaking and theft.

He will return to court on Mar. 2 for his sentencing.

Couple became suspicious after losing cash

According to court documents seen by Shin Min, the boy and his upstairs neighbour, a couple in their 60s, live in a public housing block in northern Singapore.

His upstairs neighbour first became suspicious of the theft in May 2023.

At the time, they noticed that banknotes in their wallet, which they had placed on their living room table, had gone missing several times.

To identify the culprit, the couple installed a CCTV surveillance camera in their flat in October 2025.

The couple had not lost any valuables over the next few weeks.

Boy's deeds caught on CCTV camera

However, on Dec. 19, 2023, the couple noticed that a S$10 bank note had gone missing from their wallet again.

At the time, they were unable to identify the culprit as they had accidentally deleted the relevant CCTV footage.

It was not until two days later, when the couple lost more valuables, that they checked the footage and realised the teen had broken into their flat.

They subsequently lodged a police report.

Investigations revealed that the boy would climb into his neighbour's flat after 1am, when the couple were asleep.

After stealing the cash, he would return to his flat via the same route.

Accused of assaulting another teen with friends

Besides stealing cash from his neighbours, the boy was also accused of assaulting another male teen, then 15, with his friends on Oct. 12, 2023, reported Shin Min.

On the day of the incident, the boy and his friend were playing football with another group of teens at around 4:30pm.

However, during the game, the victim apparently upset one of the boy's friends when he accidentally hit the latter's nose.

In response, the friend allegedly began chasing after the victim.

When the victim accidentally tripped and fell to the ground, the boy and his friends purportedly gathered around him and assaulted him continuously.

As a result, the victim sustained injuries to his nose, including bone fractures.

The boy's friends were subsequently arrested.

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