SINGAPORE – A thief who stole a Bible was given his own copy of the Christian scriptures by a Singapore district judge, who then sentenced the man to four months in prison, news reports said on Wednesday.
Tan Jit Liang, 26, was told by Judge Bala Reddy to open his gift to the Old Testament.
“You will see at page 65 that it says, ‘Thou shalt not steal,'” The Straits Times quoted Reddy as saying.
“While you are in prison, sit in prison and read the Bible, and ensure that you don’t come before the courts again,” Reddy said.
The judge noted Tuesday that Tan had several previous convictions for theft and had stolen books before stealing the Bible on September 17 at a shop in the city-state.
Tan admitted telling a psychiatrist that he wanted a new Bible to replace his torn and tattered one.