Serial bra thief admits leaving house during circuit breaker to steal underwear

SINGAPORE: A serial bra thief found with more than 100 bras and 41 pairs of panties in his house had gone out even during the "circuit breaker" period in an attempt to steal underwear, a court heard on Monday (May 18).

He had stolen the underwear between April 2018 and April 2020, and had left his house without a mask on during the circuit breaker.

Lee Chee Kin, 39, pleaded guilty to 10 charges of theft, criminal trespass, unauthorised access to computer material, as well as breach of COVID-19 regulations. Another 14 charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that Lee selected the underwear "based on their appearance", climbing over back gates and entering laundry areas to take them before climbing back out.

"The accused used the stolen bras and panties for his own sexual gratification," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kwang Jia Min. 

In total, he entered victims' homes on at least 30 occasions, stealing at least 34 bras, 42 pairs of panties and one pair of bra straps.

He was arrested on Jul 12 last year, and 106 bras and 41 pairs of panties were found in his house. Some of the stolen items were not recovered. 

The victims do not wish to have the items returned to them, said the prosecutor.

The priciest thefts occurred in a single unit, which was redacted from court documents in order to protect the victim's identity.

Lee climbed over the back gate of this home four times between February and March 2019, and took 12 bras and 12 pairs of panties worth S$1,000 from the back yard.

Some of these items were later found at Lee's house during the police raid.

BREACHED COVID-19 REGULATIONS TO STEAL

In the early hours of Apr 15, when COVID-19 regulations were in force prohibiting non-essential outdoor activities, Lee left his house with the intention to steal.

He was on court bail at that time. He had also failed to wear a mask.

Lee also admitted to an unrelated charge of dishonestly misappropriating a man's debit card at Ang Mo Kio MRT station and spending about S$91 using the card's payWave function.

Lee said he hopes for a chance to see a doctor and "do something good for society".

The prosecutor said she would not object to the calling of a report to assess if Lee is suitable for a mandatory treatment order.

She added that the prosecution does not currently have information on whether his fetish is a proper psychiatric condition, and whether any such condition is linked to his committing of the offences.

The defence said his client's father died in 2019 and his uncle recently underwent surgery, two issues which affected Lee. He said his client is remorseful for his actions. 

The judge called for the suitability report and adjourned sentencing to Jun 1.

For criminal trespass, Lee can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$500, or both.

For theft, he can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.

For breaching COVID-19 regulations, he can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

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