As Usual, Only Ang Mohs Can Use Mental Illness as Excuse to Commit Crime

[makapaaa]

[h=2]French woman accused of stealing $32,800 bag said to be kleptomanic[/h]

August 29th, 2012 |

Author: Editorial

42-year-old Olivia Lemercier Maurice, who's been accused of stealing a Ralph Lauren bag worth $32,800, is said to be suffering from kleptomania. (Photo: Kimberly Spykerman)

A French woman, 42-year-old Olivia Lemercier Maurice, was charged last week (22 Aug) with stealing a Ralph Lauren bag worth $32,800.
The blonde petite woman allegedly stole the expensive handbag from a Ralph Lauren shop at Marina Bay Sands on 30 Jul at 8pm.
It was believed that she was on vacation in Singapore with her family when the alleged incident happened.
She is said to be suffering from kleptomania.
She was back in court today (29 Aug) for a second hearing. Her lawyer asked the court for more time for her to be assessed. The lawyer said he had received a medical report from France indicating that she suffered from this condition. In the meantime, she is also seeking to get a medical assessment in Singapore.
She will be back in court on 19 Sep. Her passport has been impounded and she is currently out on bail.
If convicted, she could be jailed up to three years and fined.

What is Kleptomania?
Kleptomania is the failure to refrain from the urge to steal items, not for reasons of personal use or financial increase. Kleptomania is presently classified in the psychiatric glossary as an impulse control disorder, but was first described in 1816. However, it has been a controversial topic among psychiatrists, legal authorities, retail store managers and the opinionated public ever since.
Skeptics have decried kleptomania as an invalid psychiatric concept exploited in legal defenses of wealthy lady shoplifters. During the twentieth century, kleptomania was strongly linked with the increased prevalence of department stores, and “department store kleptomaniacs” were a widely held social stereotype that had political implications (‘Shoplifting as Moral Insanity: Historical Perspectives on Kleptomania‘).
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[Television]

I remembered a Sinkie girl was given probation or Fined for stealing(She was a kleptomania), she re-offended and was later send to jail.

Ultimately it really depends on how an individual sees things, For some people like myself, I don't see it as right to persecute an individual if he/she has committed a crime because of an Illness.

 

[Lizzert]

Wonder if the guys being charged with poking the underaged prostitute can get an MC from doctor and use as defence/..
diagosed with severe ..CheeHong Flu or cerified Fucktomaniac (cannot resist nonok) then ask for probation
KNN... I say throw the chow angmoh chee in jail and throw away the key

 

[melzp]

I remembered a Sinkie girl was given probation or Fined for stealing(She was a kleptomania), she re-offended and was later send to jail.

Ultimately it really depends on how an individual sees things, For some people like myself, I don't see it as right to persecute an individual if he/she has committed a crime because of an Illness.

Ya, i remembered too. YPH was CJ who decided n DPP poked no further. So, we wondered if someone
got hypnotized juz bcoz its a yong woman. ..Really, men are closer to Satan?

 

[PressToTeleport]

French woman fined for stealing S$32,800 handbag
By Alvina Soh | Posted: 19 September 2012 1746 hrs

42-year-old Olivia Lemercier Maurice, who's been accused of stealing a Ralph Lauren bag worth S$32,800, is said to be suffering from kleptomania. (Photo: Kimberly Spykerman)

SINGAPORE: A French woman who stole a Ralph Lauren bag worth S$32,800 was fined S$8,000.

Olivia Lemercier Maurice, 42, who suffers from kleptomania, was sentenced on September 12.

Her case was originally scheduled for mention on Wednesday.

However, her lawyer informed the media on Wednesday that she was found guilty of one count of theft and fined on September 12.

Lemercier stole the handbag from a Ralph Lauren shop at Marina Bay Sands on July 30.

She and her family were in Singapore on holiday when she committed the offence.

According to court documents, she saw the bag on a mannequin and "took an instant liking to it".

The court heard that without thinking, she took the bag off the mannequin and put it into her own bag.

Her lawyer, Mr Raymond Lye, said his client was shocked when she found out about the price of the bag.

Lemercier was later arrested in transit at Changi Airport on August 19.

She spent a week in lock-up in Singapore.

The prosecution had earlier argued for a jail sentence, citing the value of the handbag.

However, Mr Lye argued that rehabilitation was the primary focus and urged the court to impose a sentence that would allow Lemercier to start her treatment in France as soon as possible.

Channel NewsAsia understands that she returned to France on the day she was sentenced and will be seeking treatment.

Under the law here, offenders could be jailed up to three years and fined.

- CNA/cc