S'porean woman, 40, stole & pawned mum-in-law's jewellery worth S$3,660 to pay off credit card debt, gets 1 week jail

A 40-year-old woman, Lin Lijuan (transliteration), was sentenced to one week in jail after admitting to stealing her mother-in-law's jewellery and pawning it for cash.

According to Shin Min Daily News, Lin, who is unemployed, pleaded guilty to the theft charge on Oct. 17.

Lin confessed at a family meeting

Shin Min reported that in December 2024, Lin's mother-in-law discovered that the jewellery, which she had kept in her safe, was missing.

About two months later on Feb. 4, the 65-year-old held a family meeting, during which she questioned Lin if she was the one who stole the jewellery.

Lin confessed, admitting that she had pawned them for cash to settle her credit card debt.

Her mother-in-law subsequently lodged a police report more than a month later, which led to an investigation into the case.

Stole a total of 6 items worth over S$3,600

According to Shin Min, investigations revealed that Lin lived with her mother-in-law and had been left alone at home when the latter travelled overseas that December.

During that time, Lin took the opportunity to find the key to the victim's safe, opened it, and took all the jewellery inside.

She stole two gold bracelets, two gold necklaces, a gold ring and a gold bracelet, which were collectively valued at S$3,660.

Told police money was used for household expenses

While Lin initially told her mother-in-law that the money was used to pay off her credit card debt, she later told the police that the money was spent on household expenses, Shin Min reported.

She has yet to compensate her mother-in-law for the stolen items.

Though her mother-in-law was able to recover the stolen jewellery from the pawnshop, she was only able to do so after paying half their original price.

Previously fined for theft

The prosecution highlighted that Lin had betrayed her mother-in-law's trust and noted that she had previously been fined for theft many years ago.

In court, Lin requested a week's deferment of her sentence to handle personal matters.

The judge granted her request and allowed her to begin serving her one-week jail term on Oct. 24.

Top photos via Unsplash and Canva