Woman admits to cheating, theft after serving corrective training for repeat offenders
SINGAPORE – A serial conwoman did not learn her lesson after she was sentenced to six years’ corrective training for cheating in 2010 and reoffended following her last release from prison.
Corrective training is reserved for repeat offenders and does not offer the usual one-third remission for good behaviour.
It is usually imposed when the court finds that the offender needs a substantial period of training for reformation. The maximum period for corrective training is 14 years.
Following her last release from prison, Chia Weven, now 48, committed multiple counts of theft and cheating in 2017 and 2018, involving more than $19,000.
The Singaporean pleaded guilty on Monday (Nov 15) to five counts of cheating and a theft charge. Twelve other charges for similar offences will be considered during sentencing.
Chia was at a prison volunteer’s home on July 25, 2017, when she stole about $10,000 worth of cash and valuables including two gold necklaces.
On Dec 20 that year, Chia went to a female friend’s home and stole a credit card belonging to the woman’s sister who also lived there.
Chia then used it to buy a gold bracelet worth more than $600 later that day.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Lu Jia said: “After the accused appended a forged signature on the receipt, (a sales assistant) noticed that the signature looked different from the credit card and thus questioned the accused about the difference in the signatures.
“The accused reassured (the sales assistant) that the card was hers and explained that sometimes the signatures would look different.”
The sale went though and Chia went to a nearby pawnshop to pawn the bracelet, receiving less than $1,000 in cash. She used the money for personal expenses.
The next day, she went to another store and bought four pieces of gold jewellery worth more than $1,800 in total before pawning them. This time, she received about $1,300 in cash.
Her friend’s sister alerted the police that evening after noticing that somebody had made unauthorised transactions on her missing credit card.
A few days later, the friend asked Chia if she had stolen her sister’s credit card and made the unauthorised transactions.
Chia denied committing the offences but came clean about what she had done a few weeks later when the friend confronted her again.
Besides these offences, Chia also committed multiple counts of cheating and theft in 2018, the court heard.
On Monday, DPP Teo urged the court to call for a report to assess Chia’s suitability for corrective training, adding that she had made no restitution.
District Judge Lim Tse Haw called for reports to assess her suitability for corrective training and preventive detention, which also does not offer the usual one-third remission for good behaviour.
In preventive detention, a recalcitrant offender aged over 30 will receive a substantial period of imprisonment to protect the public. The detention order can last for up to 20 years.
Chia is expected to be sentenced on Dec 14.
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