Man accused of robbery gets jail but escapes caning after pleading guilty to reduced charge of theft

A man accused of robbing the Tampines branch of a licensed moneylending firm escaped caning after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of committing theft at the outlet.

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

On March 7, Jose Manuel Pacheco, 40, was sentenced to a year and four months' jail after he pleaded guilty to one count each of theft, criminal intimidation and criminal breach of trust.

The Australian could have been jailed for up to 10 years and received at least six strokes of the cane if he had pleaded guilty to a robbery charge.

Offenders convicted of theft can instead be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

The reasons behind this reduced charge were not disclosed in court on March 7.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin, however, told District Judge Shen Wanqin that following an Institute of Mental Health psychiatric evaluation, Pacheco was found to be suffering from major depressive disorder ranging from moderate to severe.

There was also a contributory link between his mental condition and offending behaviour, the court heard.

The DPP added: "(A doctor) assessed the accused to be of sound mind at the time of the offence and capable of appreciating what he was doing and the wrongfulness of his actions."

Court documents stated that in 2023, Pacheco was a general manager at a food and beverage firm, working at three of its restaurants.