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SINGAPORE – Saddled with credit card debts, a management support officer at a secondary school went on to misappropriate more than $14,000 in total from it between 2017 and 2023.<\/p>\n
Mary Lim Siew Lian, 49, who was working at Catholic High School at the time of the offences, then used the ill-gotten gains to settle her personal expenses.<\/p>\n
On Nov 17, she pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal breach of trust involving more than $9,000.<\/p>\n
Three other similar charges relating to the remaining amount will be considered during her sentencing.<\/p>\n
The Singaporean has made full restitution and The Straits Times has reached out to the Ministry of Education to find out more about her current employment status with it.<\/p>\n
Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang told the court that as a management support officer, Lim was entrusted with funds from the School Management Committee (SMC), collected through fund-raising events and merchandise sales.<\/p>\n
Part of her responsibilities included collecting payments made to the SMC, depositing the money into a bank account linked to it, and keeping a record of the deposited amounts.<\/p>\n
At the time of the offences, she was the sole officer entrusted by the school to collect payments for its annual yearbook publications. <\/p>\n
Such payments were collected in cash from the students of each class by their form teachers. <\/p>\n
The money was then handed over Lim, who had to record the amounts received and deposit the funds into the SMC\u2019s bank account. <\/p>\n
In 2017, she found herself saddled with debt after obtaining about seven to eight credit cards from different banks. She had used the cards to buy clothes and luxury bags online. <\/p>\n
DPP Ang said: \u201cShe had also pawned her personal valuables, and was servicing the interest to redeem the pawned items. <\/p>\n
\u201cDespite knowing that she was required to do so, the accused did not declare her financial embarrassment to the school, as she was afraid of losing her job.\u201d <\/p>\n
Court documents stated that in 2017, Lim collected more than $11,000 in payments from 29 classes for the 2016 yearbook.<\/p>\n
However, she deposited only $5,250 of the amount into the SMC\u2019s bank account and pocketed the remainder.<\/p>\n
She went on to commit similar offences every year until 2020.<\/p>\n
DPP Ang said that between 2017 and 2020, she misappropriated more than $13,700 in total and had initially intended to return the money. However, she did not do so, the court heard.<\/p>\n
On May 22, 2023, Lim misappropriated another $660 in cash from the sales of certain undisclosed merchandise.<\/p>\n
She later found out that the school was conducting checks on its payment records.<\/p>\n
On Aug 19, 2024, she approached her supervisor and the school\u2019s vice-principal, and came clean about what she had done.<\/p>\n
The police were alerted the next day and officers arrested Lim on Aug 22 that year.<\/p>\n
On Nov 14, the DPP urged the court to sentence her to up to six months\u2019 jail, adding: \u201cThe accused misappropriated payments made by secondary school students, and this would inevitably damage public confidence in the teaching service.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe accused\u2019s offending conduct was purposeful and highly premeditated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lim will be sentenced on Jan 13, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n