An unemployed woman stole $27,000 from her father's bank account to buy milk powder and diapers for her newborn son. Chew Seok Peng also used some of the money to help her husband pay for the furniture and electrical appliances for their new Housing Board flat.
For the offences, she was sentenced on Wednesday to probation for 11/2 years.
The 29-year-old had pleaded guilty last month to five counts of stealing her father's ATM card and to six theft charges for making unauthorised withdrawals and transfers of sums ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.
In passing sentence, District Judge Low Wee Ping said that what the unemployed woman did was very foolish and she "cannot be described as a criminal".
"If you had asked your father, he would probably have helped you," the judge added.
According to court papers, while visiting her father's flat in Ang Mo Kio on May 30 last year, she stole his ATM card from a cupboard in his bedroom. She was able to guess the personal identification number and the following day, transferred $5,000 and withdrew $2,000. She then returned the card to the cupboard. On June 6, she stole the card another four times to make withdrawals and transfers.
She was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
