Updated: 04/02/2014 12:22 | By Channel NewsAsia
Ex-DSTA staff fined S$4,000 for stealing laptop
SINGAPORE: A former staff at the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) was on Wednesday fined S$4,000 for stealing his colleague's laptop.
Lee Kian Heng, 33, had been a senior associate engineer at DSTA at the time of the offence.
He swiped his then colleague's laptop in September last year at about 6.45pm from the Depot Road office.
The court heard in mitigation that Lee was expecting to graduate from his bachelor course in a few years' time.
But District Judge Christopher Goh pointed out that the mitigation did not state why Lee committed the offence.
When asked, lawyer Louis Joseph described it as a "very silly act".
He explained that Lee himself does not understand why he decided to steal the laptop.
Mr Joseph added that his client stole the item for personal use in a "moment of unbelievable stupidity".
The maximum penalty for theft is a jail term of three years and a fine. - CNA/nd
