A 23-year-old former nurse has been arrested for rummaging a patient’s personal belongings while he was asleep.
The man, who was a Woodlands Health (WH) nurse deployed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), also reportedly stole the patient’s bank card details and committed multiple offences by using the information obtained. For misusing the trust expected of a staff of a health institution, the man was arrested for offences under the Computer Misuse Act (CMA) and cheating.
In a statement released by the Singapore Police Force on 21 January, the police said on 17 September 2022, the police received a report where a male victim discovered multiple unauthorised transactions made using his bank card details.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had sought medical treatment and was subsequently hospitalised. The victim was awoken when he spotted an unknown man rummaging his personal items, but he was unable to check on his belongings as he was in a drowsy state. Through follow-up investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him.
Investigations revealed that the man, a WH Enrolled nurse deployed to NTFGH, had misused the trust expected of a staff of a health institution where he had accessed the bank card details of patients under his care, such as accessing victims’ phones for their banking credential and committing a myriad of offences by using the information obtained.
Further investigations revealed that the man is also allegedly involved in other similar cases involving victims who were patients of the hospital, with losses amounting to more than $12,000.
The man will be charged in court on 22 January 2024. If convicted of theft, the man shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of up to three years, a fine, or both.
For the offence of cheating, if convicted, the man may face an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
For Unauthorised Access to Computer Material under the CMA 1933, the offence carries a fine of up to $5,000, or imprisonment term of up to two years, or both.
For Unauthorised Modification of Computer Material under CMA 1933, the offence carries a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for a term of up to three years, or both.
For access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of offence under the CMA 1933, the offence carries a fine of up to $50,000, imprisonment term of up to 10 years, or both.
