Woman charged with trying to rob diner at Han’s Restaurant while armed with knife

SINGAPORE: A 50-year-old woman was charged in court on Friday (Aug 30) with trying to rob a diner at a restaurant in a mall along Thomson Road while armed with a knife.
Singaporean Lam Hoe Lian was given one count of attempted armed robbery and ordered to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for medical examination.
Lam is accused of trying to rob a man at about 9.30am on Aug 29 at Han’s Restaurant in Novena Square, along Thomson Road.
According to a police statement, she had taken the knife from a table in the restaurant and tried to rob a diner there.
However, she left empty-handed after the restaurant staff intervened and was not there when the police arrived.
Police officers identified her using images from police cameras and closed-circuit television footage. She was arrested within nine hours of the report. A knife was seized as a case exhibit.
Lam will return to court next month. Attempted robbery carries a jail term of between two and seven years and at least six strokes of the cane.
Lam cannot be caned as women are not caned in Singapore. As she was allegedly armed while carrying out the attempted robbery, she could also have been liable to at least 12 strokes of the cane, if not for her gender.