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07-06-2011, 07:00 AM
This is a pretty sad tale of what happens when you cannot control your compulsive spending!
Jun 7, 2011
Secretary jailed 59 months for forgery
She forged boss' signature on cheques totalling $1.3m
By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
Chiam forged 32 cheques while she was Mr Wu's secretary between 2006 and 2009. Police recovered luxury goods worth $449,486 from her home.
A SECRETARY forged her boss's signature on cheques totalling $1.3 million - and splashed out on luxury goods including 200 pairs of shoes and more than 80 branded bags.
Samantha Chiam Hwee Theng, 30, also treated herself to jewellery, luxury watches and holidays with family members.
The mother of three was jailed for nearly five years yesterday after pleading guilty to nine counts of forgery for the purpose of cheating.
Chiam forged Mr Wu Chin Wei's signature on 32 cheques between 2006 and 2009 while working as his personal secretary. Each cheque in the proceeded charges was worth between US$18,000 (S$22,000) and US$500,000.
She confessed when confronted with a US$500,000 withdrawal from his bank account.
Mr Wu, a director of Triple Electronic in MacPherson Road, made a police report in August 2009.
The police recovered an assortment of jewellery, branded handbags and luxury watches worth a total of $449,486 from her home.
Chiam's lawyer, Mr Andrew Tan, told the court his client was a 'shop-aholic' who suffered from a compulsive disorder.
He said she had developed the habit of buying items she did not need in her early 20s. It later became an obsession because she wanted to stand out from the crowd and be admired and accepted by others.
Chiam - who has twin daughters aged three and another daughter aged five - lavished gifts on her relatives, friends and associates.
Consultant psychiatrist Lim Yun Chin said in his report that Chiam lied to her husband and mother, telling them her shopping money came from stocks, shares and her own online business. He added that she exceeded her credit card limits and her shopping expenditure was constantly out of control.
'For example, Samantha reported spending at least $10,000 in Louis Vuitton and $30,000 in Chanel each time she entered the stores. She had spent about $1,800 in Carrefour and later noted that she had bought grocery items in excess of what she needed,' he said.
But Institute of Mental Health consultant Jerome Goh disagreed with Dr Lim's diagnosis, saying Chiam's shopping was not senseless or driven by impulse but had involved premeditation and planning.
He said she shopped to 'feel accepted' and to 'provide a better life for her family'.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chris-topher Ong argued that it had not been established that Chiam suffered from impulse control disorder. Even if she did, there was clearly no causal link between that condition and her offences.
Chiam has paid $100,000 back to Mr Wu.
District Judge Low Wee Ping backdated Chiam's 59-month sentence to Sept 17 last year and took 24 other charges into consideration.
The court allowed her husband to talk to her after the hearing. He sobbed as they spoke in a secure room.
She could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined on each charge.
elena@sph.com.sg
Jun 7, 2011
Secretary jailed 59 months for forgery
She forged boss' signature on cheques totalling $1.3m
By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
Chiam forged 32 cheques while she was Mr Wu's secretary between 2006 and 2009. Police recovered luxury goods worth $449,486 from her home.
A SECRETARY forged her boss's signature on cheques totalling $1.3 million - and splashed out on luxury goods including 200 pairs of shoes and more than 80 branded bags.
Samantha Chiam Hwee Theng, 30, also treated herself to jewellery, luxury watches and holidays with family members.
The mother of three was jailed for nearly five years yesterday after pleading guilty to nine counts of forgery for the purpose of cheating.
Chiam forged Mr Wu Chin Wei's signature on 32 cheques between 2006 and 2009 while working as his personal secretary. Each cheque in the proceeded charges was worth between US$18,000 (S$22,000) and US$500,000.
She confessed when confronted with a US$500,000 withdrawal from his bank account.
Mr Wu, a director of Triple Electronic in MacPherson Road, made a police report in August 2009.
The police recovered an assortment of jewellery, branded handbags and luxury watches worth a total of $449,486 from her home.
Chiam's lawyer, Mr Andrew Tan, told the court his client was a 'shop-aholic' who suffered from a compulsive disorder.
He said she had developed the habit of buying items she did not need in her early 20s. It later became an obsession because she wanted to stand out from the crowd and be admired and accepted by others.
Chiam - who has twin daughters aged three and another daughter aged five - lavished gifts on her relatives, friends and associates.
Consultant psychiatrist Lim Yun Chin said in his report that Chiam lied to her husband and mother, telling them her shopping money came from stocks, shares and her own online business. He added that she exceeded her credit card limits and her shopping expenditure was constantly out of control.
'For example, Samantha reported spending at least $10,000 in Louis Vuitton and $30,000 in Chanel each time she entered the stores. She had spent about $1,800 in Carrefour and later noted that she had bought grocery items in excess of what she needed,' he said.
But Institute of Mental Health consultant Jerome Goh disagreed with Dr Lim's diagnosis, saying Chiam's shopping was not senseless or driven by impulse but had involved premeditation and planning.
He said she shopped to 'feel accepted' and to 'provide a better life for her family'.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chris-topher Ong argued that it had not been established that Chiam suffered from impulse control disorder. Even if she did, there was clearly no causal link between that condition and her offences.
Chiam has paid $100,000 back to Mr Wu.
District Judge Low Wee Ping backdated Chiam's 59-month sentence to Sept 17 last year and took 24 other charges into consideration.
The court allowed her husband to talk to her after the hearing. He sobbed as they spoke in a secure room.
She could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined on each charge.
elena@sph.com.sg
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