Mother and daughter get jail for two-hour shoplifting spree along Orchard Road

SINGAPORE: A mother and her daughter who went on a shoplifting spree along Orchard Road were sentenced to 10 days' jail on Wednesday (Aug 21). 

Fong Leok Moy, 68, and her daughter Wong Phuay Yee, 41, filched items like Havaianas slippers, Victoria's Secret underwear and Cotton On clothes from Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City and Mandarin Gallery.

The women each pleaded guilty to three counts of theft, with another seven taken into consideration.

The court heard that the two women were jobless when they went on the spree in October 2017.

They left their home on Oct 22 2017 at around 3pm, intending to head to Orchard Road for a shopping spree. However, as they had no cash with them, they decided to steal things instead, said State Prosecuting Officer M Mariyappan.

They were noticed by a sales assistant at the FitFlop store in Wisma Atria, who recognised the two women as they entered his shop as the ones who stole slippers from him previously. 

The man followed the pair and called the police at about 5.10pm.

When the police checked both women, they found many items that they admitted to stealing from various shops in the Orchard Road area.

Among the items they stole were: Two pairs of Havaianas slippers worth S$109.80 in total; three pairs of Cotton On shorts worth S$89.95; 24 pieces of Victoria's Secret seamless panties and a sports bra worth S$491 in total.

Other items they took include a S$35.20 L'occitane soap bar, two fruit peelers worth S$26 in total, and S$40 scented candles from Bath & Body Works.

The prosecution said all the stolen items were returned and asked for two weeks' jail for each woman, saying they had previously been convicted of theft in May 2016 and "clearly did not learn" from it.

DEFENCE ASKS FOR MERCY

Defence lawyer T M Sinnadurai asked the judge to temper justice with mercy, saying his clients were committed only on two separate occasions and they had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

A medical report shows that the mother suffers from some degree of depression, said the lawyer, and that she has gone through some difficulty in her family life.

Her daughter is the only one who is still close to her, giving emotional support, said Mr Sinnadurai.

The daughter is the sole breadwinner of the family and both her parents are not working, he added. 

District Judge Eddy Tham said the two women ought to have realised the seriousness of their actions after previously receiving day reporting orders for theft.

"Unfortunately they did not cherish that (chance) and have gone on to commit not one but 10 different offences," said the judge. 

For each count of theft, they could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.