by Elena Chong
A FORMER apprentice jockey pleaded guilty to six counts of corruptly receiving a total of $1,470 from a regular horse punter in return for giving him insider information.
Mohamad Azrull Mohamad Sani, 24, met Cogan Swee Yong Huat, 56, through a stable boy in 2004.
It was agreed between them that Swee, who has been charged, would support Azrull financially in return for the latter to communicate - stable information about race horses not publicly available - to Swee.
The court heard that in December 2004, Azrull told Swee that he injured himself after falling from a horse and needed $450. Swee passed him the money at a coffeeshop in Ang Mo Kio. Later that month, Swee gave him $200 to take his family out.
In January 2005, Azrull asked Swee to help him repay a loan from an illegal moneylender. They met at Yio Chu Kang MRT on Jan 16. At a coffeeshop Azrull received $220 from Swee on the understanding that he was to give 'insider information' about race horses to Swee whenever the opportunity arose.
Azrull received three more payments of $200 each between Jan 24 and March 3 of 2005. Six other charges involving $1,000 will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced next Thursday (Dec 23). Azrull can be fined up to $100,000 and/or jailed for up to five years on each charge.