'When the law catches up with them, reality hits and their adventure quickly turns into a nightmare,' said Mr Glenn Lim, a rehabilitation ambassador for the Yellow Ribbon Project, an initiative to integrate ex-offenders back into society.

The death of 15-year-old Mernel Koh, last Tuesday, may have been linked to the fact that she was due to appear in court to answer charges of shoplifting.

Her body and that of a 22-year-old man were found on the ground near Block 127 in Bukit Batok West Avenue 6.

Her parents had planned to accompany her to the Juvenile Court last Tuesday. But she did not return home last Monday night and skipped court the next morning.

At noon, after two hours of searching, her parents received a call informing them that she was dead.

Read the full story in today's edition of The Sunday Times.