A student from the National University of Singapore (NUS) was sentenced to six weeks jail on Monday (Jan. 4) in the State Court for three charges of theft of female undergarments.

The 25-year-old Singaporean, Pei Shao Bo, faced nine charges, which included theft and criminal trespass.

Stole bras & panties from campus hostel rooms

According to court documents, Pei was charged with the theft of four bras and two panties, and "found it thrilling to take such items".

It was also reported that he had a fetish for female underwear.

A student at NUS at the time of his offences, Pei would head to a hostel block on campus to steal the above-mentioned items from unlocked hostel rooms between January and February last year.

The student did not reside in the hostel, but had been accustomed with the layout during his freshman orientation.

The block was not named to protect the identity of the victims.

Accused would masturbate with the stolen items at home

Court documents also reported that Pei kept the stolen undergarments at home in a drawstring bag.

When he felt aroused, Pei would masturbate with the female undergarments, and some of the stolen items were soiled in the process.

The soiled undergarments were thrown away.

Although he shared a room with his brother, Pei would ensure that his brother was not around when engaging in the above-mentioned acts.

Caught red-handed in a victim's hostel room

On Feb. 8, 2020, a victim discovered an unknown male in her unlocked room, which was on a floor for female residents.

The victim had questioned him about what Pei was doing in the room.

He did not answer her questions and ran away despite being chased by the victim.

She then reported the matter to campus security, who managed to trace Pei through CCTV trailing and making enquiries.

An electronic police report was lodged on Feb. 13, 2020, by the victim.

Life's stresses not an excuse for committing offences: DPP Kayal Pillay

According to CNA, defence arguments from Pei included the stress of being in his final year at NUS and the fact that his girlfriend had ended their relationship.

The defence had also asked for probation.

However, the Deputy Public Prosecutor Kayal Pillay said that these factors are "part and parcel of life" and do not give him the leeway to commit any offences.

According to CNA, Kayal said:

"While the accused may have been facing stressful life events, these are events that any typical final year student may experience. It cannot be an excuse for him to commit these offences and lay the blame at the feet of his life stresses."

The Deputy Public Prosecutor asked for a six-week jail term, and said that his academic performance should not "should not detract from the seriousness of the offences".

Suspended & barred from campus since June 2020

According to an advisory sent by NUS' Office of Student Conduct, the NUS student has been suspended from the University and barred from campus since June 2020.

The only exception to this is when Pei seeks treatment with the University Health Centre on campus.

NUS has taken the following actions since last year:

• A Board of Discipline was convened to look into Pei's offences in May 2020
• Three-year suspension reflected on Pei's academic transcript
• Pei given mandatory counselling, and rehabilitation and reconciliation sessions
• Support and assistance was provided to affected students by the university’s Victim Care Unit

According to the advisory, Pei has completed the academic requirements for his course and will need to be certified fit by the University Health Centre before he can file for graduation.

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Top image via NUS Facebook