Is this real life? Or is it just fantasy? If you try hard enough to convince someone what they’ve seen is a hallucination, will they start doubting reality?
Well, it didn’t work when my parents found my maths test papers. But Maniram Kese Sunar, 50, seems hopeful he’ll be successful—why else would he test the theory in a court case?
Maniram is accused of stealing two bottles of multivitamins from the Watsons branch in Tampines Mall last year in June, worth about $92 in total.
He really gave a new meaning to taking multivitamins. Maybe steal some concealer while he’s at it, since he clearly isn’t good enough at concealing his tracks.
But no matter, since the Watsons employees “were hallucinating” because they “are under a lot of stress”, according to his defence—in court. I, too, must have hallucinated out of exam stress when I saw my 10/25 Econs essay.
He stated he did not remember the incident, and asked to see surveillance footage from the Watsons store on the day the theft allegedly occurred.
He also added to his defence that “I am a true blue Singaporean, I speak the four languages here, I will not do something like that.” We congratulate him on demonstrating his mastery of a fifth language called xenophobia.
The circumstances surrounding his appearance in court were similarly dramatic: he interrupted another court case attempting to address the judge, and only stopped after the court officers told him to take a seat and speak at his turn.
He did not plead guilty to the charge of theft, and he will be tried on 21 April for an offence warranting a fine or up to three years of imprisonment. He is also facing charges for skipping bail after not reporting for bail last July.
So What’s The Law Surrounding Theft?
According to Singapore Legal Advice, theft involves “moving moveable property out of the possession of any person”, “without that person’s consent”, out of a “dishonest intention”.
Okay, let’s stop for a moment. Yes, it sounds pretty clear to most of us what theft is. But what about more contentious cases? Is it theft if you only take something temporarily, for example?
Unfortunately, such a case would still constitute theft, since the law does not specify a “permanent removal” of the item from someone’s possession.
Stealing wifi, however, will not be theft because wifi signals are not a moveable property. (Yay.)
However, it violates the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act, and carries a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to three years. (Nay… Though why would someone call the police for having their wifi stolen?)
It is also not theft if you find something that’s abandoned and decide to keep it for yourself, because abandoned items are, well, not owned by anyone.
You do, however, have to “take reasonable steps” to return the item to the owner, if it is clear that someone still wants the item. If you find a wallet in a mall, for example, taking the money in it instead of returning it to mall security would constitute a separate offence called criminal misappropriation.
Or you can claim the police hallucinated your actions. Though, in that case, this article has also been a hallucination and we are not responsible for any legal trouble you land yourself in.
Featured Image: Sorbis / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)
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