Woman who went on theft spree at Changi Airport during transit gets fine

SINGAPORE: While in transit at Singapore’s Changi Airport waiting for a flight to Bali, a woman went on a theft spree over an hour and forty minutes, filching cosmetics, neck pillows and other items worth more than S$600 from various shops.
Tanya Bridget Hughes, 36, was fined S$5,000 (US$3,840) by a court on Thursday (Sep 5) for her crimes.
She pleaded guilty to three counts of theft, with another five charges taken into consideration.
The court heard that Hughes, a British national, was at Changi Airport’s Terminal 4 on May 31 awaiting a 4.10pm flight to Bali.
She went to The Shilla Cosmetics and Perfumes Outlet at Terminal 4 Departure Transit Central at about 1pm and browsed the products at the Estee Lauder section.
She took a pack of eye cream products worth more than S$158 and concealed them in her bag. She then took two other products from another section and paid for these at the cashier, but left without paying for the eye cream.
Hughes then went to Charles & Keith, where she stole a black shoulder bag and its attached pouch, worth over S$82.
According to the charges taken into consideration, she next stole two books – The Daily Stoic and Atomic Habits – worth nearly S$37 in total from the WHSmith book store.
She also stole two neck pillows worth about S$50 each and two trays of chocolates worth about S$46 in total at 7-Eleven, four tubes of La Roche Posay sun block and moisturiser worth a total of about S$154, and a S$59.90 water tumbler from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Hughes’ spree came to an end when she was caught red-handed and she was arrested.
The prosecutor sought a fine of at least S$5,000 for her. He said the defence was asking for a fine that was about S$2,000 less, but stressed that S$5,000 was “already very lenient”.
He said Hughes originally faced eight counts of theft under Section 380 with a mandatory jail term, which would be aggravated “because she stole so many items” and the offences were hard to detect.
However, the charges “are already reduced” and the prosecution is seeking a fine.
“That in itself is leniency,” said the prosecutor. “S$5,000 is lenient because it’s not going to be crushing on the accused. The accused has sustained herself in Singapore on rental income, and along the way, managed to hire esteemed counsel.”
He stressed for the fine to be not less than S$5,000.
Hughes’ lawyer, Mr Jeremy Mark Pereira from Withers KhattarWong, apologised to the court for his client being late, as “two of the Grab cars she booked cancelled on her”.
“At the outset, my client is deeply embarrassed and sorry for her conduct. This is the first time she is in trouble with the law anywhere in the world,” said Mr Pereira.
He said Hughes “has issues” she requires medication for, without specifying what they were.
“She knows what she’s done is wrong. One of the first things she did was she went to seek help,” said the lawyer, adding that his client is committed to “never offending again”.
He stated on record his gratefulness to the prosecution for considering the defence’s representations and reducing the charges.
Deputy Principal District Judge Ong Chin Rhu told Hughes that she had considered the circumstances of why she committed the offences, but said she also had to consider “the extent of your criminality in the way you conducted yourself that day”.
She said the fine proposed by the prosecution was “reasonable” and imposed it.
Hughes paid the fine in full.
For each count of theft, she could have been jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.