Judge not convinced father stole from Toys 'R' Us for his kids, jails him
File photo of the State Courts in Singapore. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: A man who stole more than S$1,000 worth of toys from Toys "R" Us was jailed for 12 days on Friday (Apr 5) after failing to convince the judge that he had stolen it for his children.
Kwok Woei Jie was jobless when he stole the toys - including a S$529.99 Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai and a S$279.99 Porsche 911 Lego set - from the Toys "R" Us outlet at Punggol's Waterway Point in January.
He pleaded guilty this week to three charges of theft, with a fourth charge taken into consideration. The father of two children, who are in Primary 1 and 3, was unrepresented and told the court then that he had stolen the toys for his kids.
On Friday, however, District Judge May Mesenas told Kwok that she was not entirely swayed by his argument.
"You say it's for your children," she said. "I'm not so sure that's really the reason."
She noted how he had not removed the toys from their original packaging, leaving them as they were for three to four months.
Kwok admitted this and when asked why, he said: "I cannot one shot give him everything."
The judge said Kwok must receive counselling, as he repeatedly stole similar items, whether or not it was for his children.
"We have cases where people steal for different reasons," she said. "Sometimes it's a coping mechanism."
She said some are stressed out and feel relief after stealing, but said she was not sure whether this was the case for Kwok.
She also asked Kwok why he had reoffended two days after he was first charged in court.
Kwok had gone to a different Toys "R" Us outlet at City Square Mall and stolen four toys worth about S$100, days after being nabbed for theft at the Waterway Point outlet.
"I have nothing to say about that," answered Kwok. "I've made my mistakes."
He said he was remorseful and asked the judge for leniency. The judge said she adjusted the sentence slightly downwards to take into account the fact that he had made full restitution.
She ordered the seized items to be returned to Toys "R" Us.
