"I'm Borrowing From The Rich" — Malaysian Says After 4-Year Jail Sentence For Theft
Ng Kim Swee has been jailed in Malaysia and Singapore for committing multiple offences over the last 50 years.
By Melissa Alvina — 03 Nov 2023, 06:22 PM
For decades, 75-year-old Malaysian, Ng Kim Swee, has made headlines by justifying her thieving as a method way of "borrowing from the rich".
With a history of theft convictions in both Malaysia and Singapore since 1971, Ng faced yet another four-year prison sentence for pickpocketing on 1 November.
According to Shin Min Daily, Ng faced her first legal penalty in 1971. She was also sentenced to 10 years of preventive detention in 2004.
Her criminal record spans several decades, including theft and housebreaking offences in Malaysia in 1977, 1985, 1987, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.
Ng's modus operandi was to target tourists and unsuspecting victims with unzipped handbags at crowded stores
On 1 February, she stole a wallet from a 65-year-old Indonesian tourist at St Leaven Bakery, Singapore, reported CNA.
In an earlier incident, on 22 January, the convict also stole a Gucci wallet from a 44-year-old Singaporean at a Louis Vuitton store in Marina Bay Sands.
According to Shin Min Daily, despite CCTV evidence, Ng consistently denied her involvement in the thefts during investigations.
However, she pleaded guilty to three charges of theft on Wednesday, resulting in a four-year prison sentence.
During her plea for leniency, Ng said that she resorted to stealing in order to provide for herself and her children
She claimed that her husband habitually squandered the money she earned on gambling and visits to prostitutes, leaving her with no choice but to turn to theft to "fend for herself and her children".
CNA also reported that Ng's son suffered from a health condition, leaving him temporarily reliant on a wheelchair.
Ng vowed that her recent conviction would be her last. She explained that she had no choice but to resort to stealing as she was desperate. However, she also said that she saw stealing as a way of "borrowing from the rich".
