Man Steals S$42,000 From Elderly Mother with Dementia; Gets 13 Months in Jail

There’s something particularly enraging about cases where someone steals from the vulnerable, like dementia sufferers.

It’s even worse when the offender is the victim’s own family.

Man Steals S$42,000 From Bank Account of Mother with Dementia

37-year-old Chow Zhida Gary was jobless and a gambler who had racked up substantial debt.

He asked his retired father in his 80s for money on numerous occasions but was rejected.

Knowing both his retiree parents had a joint bank account, he changed his target and went after his mother instead.

Being in her 80s as well and suffering from dementia, Chow exploited her mental state by getting her to withdraw cash during grocery trips.

He made her do so at least eight times between May and June 2020, taking care to avoid alerts triggered by large cash withdrawals.

As such, his father was left in the dark about the dwindling savings.

In late July 2020, Chow’s father found that the joint account only had S$49 left, despite previously having over S$36,000 within.

The money in the account was meant for Chow’s mother’s medical fees for her condition.

He wisely made a police report.

Chow had withdrawn a total of S$38,350 from the bank account, depositing most of it into his own and keeping the rest in cash.

Despite having sucked the initial funds dry, he got his mother to withdraw another S$4,000 during a joint trip to the mall, with the account presumably having been topped up.

It came to the point that the account lacked the minimum amount needed to stay open, which Chow’s father found out. He lodged another police report.

Police questioned Chow, who falsely said that his mother requested his help in withdrawals to give to her loved ones.

Unfortunately for his claim, the deposits into his bank account proved to be his undoing as police questioned him on it. He then admitted to using his mother’s dementia to steal the money for his own use.

Aside from his parents, Chow also stole S$5,000 worth of jewellery from his elderly aunt to pawn off.

His other ageing family members better be on high alert around him.

Man Sentenced to 13 Months in Jail for 3 Counts of Theft

Chow was charged with three counts of theft in court, as well as another three charges, including shoving his father.

Another one of the three charges was for giving a threat to a police officer in Mandarin when he said, “You want to play big, come, I have a rotten or bad life, you want to play with me come, I have two children.”

Chow got to “play big” by representing himself in court, faced with charges of theft totalling around S$55,000. He pleaded guilty to the three counts of theft.

In sentencing, the prosecution highlighted the abuse of trust in Chow exploiting the dementia of his own mother to steal all of her money, which she needed for medical bills.

The defendant also did not recompensate any money at all to his three victims.

The prosecutor said the case included “cruelty” towards a vulnerable victim, and so sought 16 months in jail.

Chow did not defend himself or ask for leniency in mitigation and the judge ultimately sentenced him to 13 months in jail on 6 August.

Chow further requested the sentence start on 12 August so he could celebrate his son’s birthday. The judge approved it.

Must be nice to have a son who doesn’t steal your money.

Dementia Sufferers Vulnerable to Crimes & Abuse

Unfortunately, dementia sufferers are an especially vulnerable part of society and frequently the victim of crimes.

Just earlier this year in May, a domestic helper was sentenced to jail for stealing S$28,050 from her 83-year-old employer with dementia.

Aside from financial theft, in 2022, a man got a restraining order for emotionally and verbally abusing his 90-year-old dementia-ridden mother.

Things aren’t all hopeless, as society has been taking steps to try to cater towards those with dementia. In 2021, SMRT announced 17 MRT stations and five bus interchanges as “dementia go-to points“, with staff trained to help sufferers in need of aid.