On a quiet July morning in a Singapore courtroom, a 26-year-old man learned the cost of a failed robbery attempt. Harry Chia Yin Xiang, who had already been in legal trouble for deflating car tyres and discarding a lit cigarette at NEA officers, was sentenced to 2.5 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane for trying to rob a Choa Chu Kang supermarket with a metal rod.

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Age at sentencing: 26 ·
Jail term: 2 years 6 months ·
Caning strokes: 12 ·
Crime location: U-Star Supermarket, Choa Chu Kang Ave 7 ·
Date of incident: April 2024 (charged) ·
Date of sentence: July 22, 2025

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Exact motive for the attempted robbery
  • Relationship to related names mentioned in searches (Ng Kah Siang, Lim Sok Lay)
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Five key details, one clear pattern: every charge against Chia points to escalating risk-taking. Here are the specifics.

Field Details
Full Name Chia Yin Xiang Harry
Age 26 (at sentencing)
Sentence 2 years 6 months jail and 12 strokes of the cane
Attempted Robbery Location U-Star Supermarket, Choa Chu Kang Ave 7
Public Nuisance Incident Date November 19, 2023

The implication: Chia’s criminal record, though short, already involved property damage and defiance of authority before the attempted robbery. For a related case with no evidence of financial hardship, see Steven Cheung Financial Struggles.

Who is Chia Yin Xiang Harry?

Background and age

  • Chia Yin Xiang Harry is a 26-year-old Singaporean (The Straits Times)
  • He was 24 at the time of the robbery in April 2024 (The Straits Times)
  • Remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for a medical examination after his arrest (The Straits Times)

The pattern: the court ordered psychiatric evaluation early in proceedings, often a marker for complex cases.

The upshot

Chia was no first-time offender — he had already been charged with public nuisance months before the robbery. The sentencing package shows the court viewed his conduct as a pattern, not a one-off lapse.

What did Harry Chia do?

Attempted robbery at U-Star Supermarket

  • At about 3.10am on April 14, 2024, Chia entered U-Star Supermarket at Choa Chu Kang Avenue 7 (The Straits Times)
  • He pointed a metal rod at a cashier’s neck during the attempt (The Straits Times (court report))
  • The cashier told him about CCTV cameras, and Chia left without taking anything (The Straits Times)

Public nuisance: deflating car tyres and placing flyers

  • On November 19, 2023, Chia deflated tyres of five cars in the same Choa Chu Kang area (Mothership)
  • He also placed flyers on vehicles, causing what the court termed public nuisance (The Straits Times)

What this means: the two incidents were separate but both happened in the Choa Chu Kang neighbourhood, suggesting a local pattern.

What was the sentence and charges?

Charges faced

  • One charge of attempted robbery (The Straits Times)
  • One charge of causing public nuisance (tyre deflation) (The Straits Times)
  • One charge for possessing a knuckleduster in March 2024 (Channel NewsAsia)
  • One charge for discarding a lit cigarette and cursing at NEA officers (Channel NewsAsia)

Sentence details

  • Sentenced to 2 years 6 months’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane on July 22, 2025 (Channel NewsAsia)
  • Six strokes of the cane for attempted robbery with extortion; six strokes for possessing a knuckleduster (Channel NewsAsia)
  • Under Singapore law, attempted robbery carries a minimum of two years and six cane strokes (The Straits Times)
  • The prosecution noted Chia showed “a complete lack of regard for lawful authority” in his NEA encounter (Channel NewsAsia)

The trade-off: Chia avoided a longer sentence (up to seven years possible) but still faced caning, a penalty Singapore courts apply vigorously for weapons-related crimes.

What is the timeline of events?

Incident and arrest

  • – Chia deflated tyres of five cars and placed flyers, causing public nuisance (The Straits Times)
  • – Charged with causing public nuisance (The Straits Times)
  • – Attempted robbery at U-Star Supermarket (The Straits Times)
  • – Charged with attempted robbery; remanded at IMH (The Straits Times)
  • – Sentenced to 2.5 years jail and 12 strokes of the cane (Mothership)

Why this matters: the timeline shows a compressed criminal escalation — from a first charge in November 2023 to a sentencing just 20 months later.

The catch

Chia’s sentencing bundle bundled multiple charges from separate incidents, a common practice in Singapore that often leads to higher combined penalties. For repeat offenders, even non-violent nuisance charges can tip the scales toward caning.

Confirmed facts

  • Chia attempted robbery with a metal rod (The Straits Times)
  • He deflated car tyres and placed flyers on Nov 19, 2023 (Mothership)
  • He was sentenced to 2.5 years jail and 12 strokes of cane (Channel NewsAsia)
  • Charges were filed in November 2023 and April 2024 (The Straits Times)

What’s unclear

  • Relationship to Ng Kah Siang and Lim Sok Lay (no context in court records)
  • Exact motivation for the attempted robbery
  • Whether the Instagram post about a teacher sex case is linked to the same person

Quotes from the case

“Chia pointed a metal rod at the cashier’s neck and demanded money.”

– The Straits Times (court report, July 22, 2025) The Straits Times

“He then left the store empty-handed after the cashier said there were CCTV cameras.”

– Mothership (sentencing report, July 22, 2025) Mothership

“The prosecution said Chia showed ‘a complete lack of regard for lawful authority’ in his encounter with NEA officers.”

– Channel NewsAsia (sentencing coverage) Channel NewsAsia

The consequence for Chia is a long prison term followed by caning, and a permanent criminal record that will affect employment, travel, and community standing. For Singaporean readers watching similar cases, the message is clear: the courts treat even a failed robbery with a weapon as a serious threshold offence.

Additional sources

mothership.sg, police.gov.sg

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Frequently asked questions

How old was Harry Chia when he committed the offences?

He was 24 at the time of the attempted robbery in April 2024. At sentencing in July 2025 he was 26.

What was the metal rod used for?

Chia held the metal rod against the cashier’s neck during the robbery attempt at U-Star Supermarket. The cashier alerted him to CCTV cameras and Chia left without taking anything.

How many cars did he deflate?

He deflated the tyres of five cars on November 19, 2023, in the Choa Chu Kang area.

What was the flyer about?

Court records do not specify the content of the flyers. They were placed on vehicles and contributed to the public nuisance charge.

Is caning mandatory for attempted robbery in Singapore?

Yes. Under Singapore’s Penal Code, attempted robbery carries a minimum of six strokes of the cane. The court can impose more based on circumstances and use of weapons.

What happened to the cashier?

The cashier was not physically injured. Chia left after being told about CCTV cameras. No medical reports were mentioned in court.

Why did he choose U-Star Supermarket?

No official motive has been disclosed. The store is located in Choa Chu Kang, where Chia also committed the public nuisance incident, suggesting local familiarity.