A WOMAN was jailed a day and fined $6,000 on Wednsday for shoplifting at a department store in Parco Bugis Junction on April 30 last year.

The 36-year-old mother of three had stolen items ranging from a belt to children's clothing amounting to about $370.

The court heard that Gwee Lye Choo, who suffers from severe depressive illness and experienced urges to shoplift, had taken the items from their display shelves in the store. She then went up to a cashier to ask for a plastic bag before placing the items into it.

She walked out of the store without paying. She was caught after she entered another store and was observed by a sales assistant to be behaving suspiciously. She also has previous convictions for stealing.

Gwee, who fainted outside the courtroom before her sentencing, is currently undergoing psychiatrict treatment.