PRC tourist jailed for shoplifting S$19K worth of apparel because it was “easy to steal from Gucci”

A Chinese national was sentenced to nine weeks’ jail yesterday (Aug 22) for stealing luxury apparel worth S$18,750 in total from Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Paragon shopping mall.

Huang Shiyuan, 26, had escaped after stealing from the Gucci store in Paragon in December last year. Yet, rather daringly, she returned to another branch to steal two days later.

A report by Today stated that when the woman was nabbed at MBS, she admitted that she thought it was “easy to steal from Gucci”.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, with another charge taken into consideration for sentencing.

Huang did have two psychiatric reports, which stated that she was suffering from major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder.

According to court documents the woman first stole a S$4,500 beige Gucci cardigan with crystal motifs from the store at MBS on December 16 last year.

The next day, she went into the changing room of the Gucci store at Paragon, located along Orchard Road, with a black cardigan worth S$2,430. After removing its price tag, she put it in her bag.

She did the same thing with a blue lace blouse valued at S$2,920 and left the store.

Two days later, at about 5pm, Huang back to the to MBS to shop and decided to steal from its Gucci store.

There, she took a white lace blouse worth S$4,400 and a pink cardigan valued at S$4,500.

Huang did not escape as the store manager called the police. When police officers detained her, she even admitted that she had the means to pay for the items.

For theft in a dwelling, she could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined. -/TISG