Two plead guilty to shoplifting with their mum

Two plead guilty to shoplifting with their mum

Two siblings pleaded guilty to shoplifting with their mother in a district court on Wednesday.

The judge ordered pre-sentence reports for Chloe Teh Pei Ling, 18, and her brother Teh Jun Wei, 17, to gauge their suitability for probation.

The court heard that the pair frequented shops in Causeway Point shopping mall with their mother, Ngiau Lih Pyng, 43, who would suggest they pass her items they wanted so she could steal them.

The children also acted as lookouts while Ngiau - who will be dealt with separately - is alleged to have stolen the items, which included whitening cream, facial cleaners, clothes and bags.

They also targeted the Guardian pharmacy in the mall as the son had worked there for a month last year.

The 10 offences admitted to by the siblings were committed between January and March this year and the items they stole came to more than $2,600 in value. They were caught after sales staff realised that items were missing and checked surveillance video footage.

A sales executive recognised Teh Jun Wei and informed the police.

Many of the shoplifted items were found in their flat in Woodlands.

The sister is a polytechnic student, while the brother is unemployed. The mother is a housewife.

The decision on whether to grant the duo probation will be made on Nov 5.

For theft, each could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

khush@sph.com.sg


Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.