Ex-nurse who allegedly stole banking details from patients in his care to be charged

SINGAPORE - A former nurse who allegedly stole banking details from patients in his care will be charged in court with cheating, theft and unauthorised access to computer material, among others.

The man, 23, was a Woodlands Health nurse deployed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital at the time of the offence, police said in a statement on Sunday (Jan 21).

He was arrested after a former patient at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital discovered multiple unauthorised transactions made using his bank card details and lodged a police report.

While hospitalised, the victim had woken up when he noticed an unknown man rifling through his belongings, but he could not check on his things as he was in a drowsy state then.

Officers from the Jurong Police Division investigated the matter after the police report was lodged, identified the nurse and arrested him.

Further investigations revealed the nurse had allegedly been involved in more such cases involving other patients of the hospital, with his victims losing more than $12,000, police said.

The man had misused the trust expected of a staff member of a health institution, accessed the banking details of his patients, even through their phones, and so “committed a myriad of offences”, they added.

He faces amalgamated charges of cheating and unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate theft, on top of charges of unauthorithised modifications to a computer and unauthorised access to computer material.

If found guilty of cheating, he may be fined and imprisoned for up to 10 years.

If found guilty of theft, he may be fined, imprisoned for up to three years, or both.

If found guilty of unauthorised modification of computer material, he may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

If found guilty of unauthorised access to computer material, he may be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

If found guilty of access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of an offence, he may be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to 10 years, or both.

In September 2023, a 38-year-old nurse from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital was sentenced to six months’ jail for stealing her colleagues’ debit cards.

She had filched their cards in the staff changing room and used them to buy hotpot and bird’s nest.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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