S’porean man, 60, pleads guilty to breaking into Bartley home & stealing S$38,900 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch & S$400 cash

A 60-year-old Singaporean man was charged with two counts of burglary after breaking into an unlocked private residence in Bartley and stealing S$400 and a watch valued at S$38,900.

Tan Sun Heng pleaded guilty to one of the charges on Jun. 4, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The other charge will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Debt

On Feb. 28, 2026, Tan was having dinner and drank three bottles of beer at a coffee shop in the How Sun area off Bartley Road.

He then went to a neighbourhood in the How Sun estate.

At the time of the offence, he needed money urgently to repay debts and to cover his daily expenses.

In charge sheets seen by Mothership, at about 8:45pm, Tan attempted to enter a house which had a secured gate.

At about 8:57pm, he successfully broke into another house after he found that both the main door and metal gate were unlocked.

Inside the house, Tan found the homeowner”s wallet on a table and took S$400 in cash in denominations of S$50, S$10, S$5 and S$2 notes.

He also took an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch valued at S$38,900.

Recorded

Tan was filmed by a domestic helper.

The homeowner, surnamed Wong, told Shin Min that she and her husband were out at the time of the incident.

When her family returned home at about 9pm, a domestic helper from a neighbouring unit ran over and showed them a video, asking if they recognised Tan.

Tan was apparently loitering outside their home, and the domestic helper thought that he might be a relative or an acquaintance.

After confirming with her husband that Tan was a stranger, Wong called the police.

Wong said she haa since installed a lock on the outer iron gate.

Spent cash

Tan later spent all the cash.

He also attempted to pawn the Royal Oak at a pawn shop in Bencoolen, but the shop refused.

Tan was eventually arrested.

Past criminal record

The prosecution urged the judge to order Tan to be evaluated to determine his suitability for reformative training or be given a deterrent jail sentence.

Tan has a previous criminal record of multiple thefts and burglaries, the court heard.

He was unrepresented and said he had nothing to add.

The judge ordered a suitability report and adjourned the case to Jun. 26 for sentencing.