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CHANGED: Lee hiding yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
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A PROFESSOR who stole the bras and panties of three Singapore university students was yesterday placed on probation for 12 months.
Lee Wing Foon, who has a PhD and teaches in China, was also ordered to attend a special treatment programme for people with sexual disorders.
He must see a psychiatrist regularly as well and cannot leave Singapore for more than a week without permission from his probation officer.
The 39-year-old admitted in February to pilfering the underwear of three female students at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The total value of the undergarments was $153.
Lee, who is married, was caught at an NTU hostel on Dec 20 last year with a black bag containing two bras and a pair of panties belonging to a 21-year-old student. Lee also admitted to having stolen the undergarments of two 19-year-olds during an earlier spree that day.
The victims had left their underwear on the railings outside their hostel rooms.
His lawyer said that Lee had been sexually aroused by undergarments since he was about 14. The lawyer called the fetish a sexual disorder.
When approached for comment outside the court, Lee appealed to the press for 'mercy' and asked reporters not to write anything that would embarrass him. He declined to comment further.
In handing down the order, Community Court Judge James Leong accepted the recommendation of a probation officer. He impressed on Lee the consequences of breaching the probation order, which include being hauled back to court and sentenced for the original crime.
The judge also said that the conditions had been imposed for Lee's own good and were designed to ensure that he made a success out of them.
'I understand. Thank you very much,' Lee replied.
Lee is an associate professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He is also a technical director at a Chinese technology firm.
Two other charges of fraudulent possession of assorted undergarments and clothing were considered during his sentencing.
He could have been jailed up to three years and fined for each count of theft.
elena@sph.com.sg
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