Homeless man steals Panadol, condoms in $1,500 stealing spree

His string of offences date back to 1972, with his most recent being theft in dwelling offences for which he was sentenced to six months' jail last May.

Shortly after his release, Krishnan Ayappan was back at it again.

This time, he stole close to $1,500 worth of condoms and medication. The condoms alone were worth over $500.

Krishnan, 55, yesterday pleaded guilty in a Community Court to the two counts of theft in dwelling.

Another two theft-related charges will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that last Nov 19, Krishnan stole a wallet from a basketball court near Block 536, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.

About a week later, he went to a 7-Eleven outlet on River Valley Road where he stole some 45 boxes of various cold medication worth over $380.

On Jan 3, he targeted another 7-Eleven outlet at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, where he took nearly $590 worth of Panadol medication.

Krishnan put the items into a plastic bag he was carrying and walked out of the store. A customer noticed this and alerted the staff, but Krishnan had already left by then.

Seven days later, he struck again at an NTUC FairPrice supermarket in Hougang, where he stole 32 boxes of condoms, putting them in a white NTUC plastic bag he was carrying.

A security officer noticed what Krishnan did, tailed him and detained him outside the supermarket.

The police were called and Krishnan arrested.

NEEDED MONEY

When asked by Community Court Judge Matthew Joseph why he did this, Krishnan, who had no lawyer, said he committed the offences because he wanted to sell the products for money.

He claimed that his siblings rejected him after his most recent prison release because he was referred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for treatment following his convictions in 2011 and 2012.

As a result, he has been homeless and living at void decks, he claimed.

The judge called these claims worrying and asked that they be looked into. He also ordered the Deputy Public Prosecutor to retrieve Krishnan's files from the IMH.

Krishnan's next court appearance is on April 8.

This article was first published on March 18, 2015.
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