Man stalked colleague, admits taking her bra and tights to sniff them
He initially denied taking a colleague's sports bra from her desk when she asked about the missing item in a department group chat.
The public servant later admitted to it, crying and begging for the woman's forgiveness when she said she would complain to the department director if no one came forward.
Months later, he took a pair of black tights and a bra from the woman's bag, replacing them with clothing he owned.
Admitting to the police he had brought the victim's belongings home to sniff them, the man, now 22, pleaded guilty yesterday to unlawfully stalking the 27-year-old woman.
Both parties, their workplace, and the location of the offence, cannot be named to protect the victim's identity.
The first incident happened on Feb 26 last year.
The woman had placed gym clothes on her office desk and when she returned later, she noticed her stack of clothes was messy and realised her sports bra was missing. She sent a text message about it, followed by a warning she would report it if no one came forward.
The man later asked her to meet him and he confessed.
He returned the sports bra with a bottle of perfume and apology notes, and she did not pursue the matter.
But on Nov 28, she discovered items of clothing were missing from a bag she had placed in an unsecured cabinet in the office, and instead found a pair of tights and a set of underwear that did not belong to her.
The man again confessed when she confronted him. She made a police report on Dec 3. Her NRIC was found after the man's home was searched.
The judge yesterday called for reports to assess the man's suitability for probation and a mandatory treatment order (MTO). The man's lawyer said his client had adjustment disorder with depressive moods.
Offenders who are given an MTO have to undergo treatment to address their mental conditions in lieu of imprisonment.
Out on $5,000 bail, the man will be sentenced on Dec 17.
For unlawful stalking, he can be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to a year, or both. - KOK YUFENG
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