A COMMOTION at a crowded Tampines Mall supermarket caught the attention of shoppers on Sunday.

Like many curious shoppers, an odd-job labourer, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, 30, moved closer to see what was going on.

He saw a woman standing in the corner outside the supermarket with a trolley containing two bags of groceries. A boy next to her was crying.

A man, who also seemed be crying, then went down on his knees and begged the police not to arrest him.

A supermarket cashier confirmed the man was in tears.

Mr Tan assumed the man had been caught for shoplifting, but his identity was a mystery to onlookers.

Then, a young boy in the crowd shouted: 'That's my teacher.'

At this point, the man covered his face with his hands and T-shirt, said Mr Tan.

The police confirmed they were called to the scene to investigate the incident, which took place at around 8.45pm at FairPrice supermarket on Sunday.

The suspect had allegedly walked out of the supermarket with unpaid items in a paper bag, bypassing the cashier.

Security officers stopped him outside and found the items in the bag. They then called the police.

Yesterday, when The New Paper phoned the suspect, he confirmed that he is a primary school teacher.

He admitted that he had walked out of the supermarket with a paper bag containing three boxes of face masks and a bottle of Choya, a Japanese plum liqueur.

The teacher of four years, who's in his mid-30s, claimed that when he committed the offence, he was in a 'daze'.

He said he was reprimanded by a police officer at the scene when he claimed he did it out of stress.

As the supermarket's shutters were being drawn some two hours later, the teacher was led away in handcuffs to a police vehicle in the basement carpark, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The teacher is now out on bail.

Pending the outcome of police investigations, neither the teacher nor his school, located in the east, will be named.

The teacher said he deeply regretted his 'silly mistake, which could cost him his career and reputation'.

And he said he didn't even need the stolen items.

He said: 'When security approached me, I was shocked.'

He asked the guard: 'What unpaid merchandise are you talking about?'

The truth hit him only when he opened his bag and saw the items, he claimed.

The teacher said he panicked and claimed the items were not his.

'But I knew it was useless because I was caught red-handed.'

Looking for answers to explain his actions, he said: 'It was a daze. Something just clouded my mind. I didn't know what happened to me.'

He said his wife, a housewife, and 4-year-old son were present, but they were unaware of the unpaid items he was carrying.

However, he said he was unaware that a boy had shouted: 'That's my teacher.'

He also denied Mr Tan's account that he had gone down on his knees in front of shoppers, adding that the public confrontation happened quickly and quietly.

He said he was later led to an office inside the supermarket.

WENT ON HIS KNEES

It was there that he went on his knees to beg the police to refrain from alerting the Ministry of Education (MOE) as well as his school about the matter.

The teacher said: 'Even an officer asked why I would do such a thing out of stress. He asked me, 'What sort of stress does a primary school teacher face?'

He said he was upset by the remark and replied: 'Please do not assume this and do not say it in my face.'

When contacted yesterday, both the MOE and the school said they were not aware of the incident.

The teacher said his actions were a result of work stress, not financial problems. He added that he was not trying to find an excuse for his crime.

Despite the school holidays, he had been constantly worried about a project he was put in charge of.

Refusing to elaborate on the project, he said: 'Although it's now the school holidays and I'm not physically at work, my mind is not taking a break.

'I have been constantly worrying about it. I cannot help but bring my emotions from work back to my home.'

As a result, he has had several run-ins with his wife and has been spending little time with his family.

'It seems I have not done much for my family. And spent too much time and effort in school. When I cannot cope with my stress, my family suffers because of me.'

Asked if he had considered seeing a counsellor, the teacher said he felt he could handle his stress.

He never thought it would culminate in the alleged crime.

'If I were to see one (counsellor), it would be to patch up my relationship with my wife,' he said.

He called his action 'a bitter price that's too big to pay'.

'My career is gone. One stupid mistake.'

Joking that he may have to return to his school to clear his desk soon, he said: 'As a teacher, students look up to you.

'His integrity and moral values must be held higher than those in some other professions. I know this is unacceptable in the eyes of the public.

'Even if MOE retains me, how will my colleagues look at me? What will parents think of me and how am I supposed to face my students?

'I think there is no way I can continue in the service.

'I have done something so stupid I will live to regret till the day I die. I am not looking for anyone to pity me. It is my fault, I admit it is my fault. A lesson learnt, there is no way of escaping and I have to grow out of it.'

For now, he is most worried about the implication of his actions on his son, who starts kindergarten next month.