Singapore: 63-year-old Indian-origin compulsive shoplifter sent back to jail

A 63-year-old compulsive shoplifter of Indian origin, who has already spent almost 18 years in jail for similar deeds, was on Wednesday sentenced to 16 months in prison here for his latest offences – shoplifting two cans of beer from a supermarket.

M Mahalingam, a Singaporean of Indian origin, pleaded guilty to stealing a can of beer on two different occasions in March this year from a supermarket.

These two offences were only the latest in a string of more than 20 similar crimes Mahalingam had committed since 1987 - a laundry list that took the prosecution almost five minutes to read out, according to a report by The Straits Times.

"(The) substantial imprisonment terms you have served have not caused you to wake up," Community Court Judge Lim Keng Yeow noted sternly. Mahalingam, unemployed, claimed to be remorseful but Judge Lim said: "To what extent do you think you can be taken seriously given your past offences?"