Ex-employee of Singapore billionaire Peter Lim’s daughter Kim Lim jailed for stealing S$73,000 Patek Philippe

A Patek Philippe watch valued at S$73,000 was among the items stolen from Singapore socialite Kim Lim by her former employee, who later sold it for S$16,500. — AsiaOne pic

First Published: Tuesday, 03 Nov 2026 2:26 PM MYT

SINGAPORE, Nov 3 — A former employee of socialite Kim Lim was yesterday sentenced to 22 months’ jail after stealing a luxury watch and cash from her employer, misusing a company credit card and drink-driving in a company vehicle.

Tey Jing Wen, 33, was also fined S$3,500 (RM11,200) and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for two years from her release.

She pleaded guilty on October 8 to five charges, including theft as a servant, criminal breach of trust as an employee, driving without a valid licence and drink-driving. 

Another five charges were taken into consideration during sentencing on Monday.

The court documents stated that the stolen items included a Patek Philippe watch valued at S$73,000 and red packets containing an estimated S$8,000 in cash, amounting to S$81,000.

Stole watch and cash from employer’s safe

Tey joined Lim’s beauty, wellness and healthcare company KL Health as a human resource assistant in June 2022, reported CNA.

She worked closely with Lim, who is the daughter of billionaire Peter Lim, on the company’s daily administrative matters. When Lim was away, employees would approach Tey for instructions, which she would relay after obtaining Lim’s approval.

In August 2024, Lim entrusted Tey with the combination to her office safe after her personal assistant resigned.

Between November 2024 and June 2025, Tey stole a Patek Philippe watch valued at S$73,000 and red packets containing about S$8,000 in cash, according to the charge sheets.

She later sold the watch for S$16,500 to a person who claimed to be a second-hand dealer while she was out on bail.

She used part of the proceeds to repay part of her unauthorised credit card spending, while the remaining money and stolen cash went towards her personal expenses, CNA reported.

Misused company credit card for personal spending

Tey also used a company credit card entrusted to her for personal expenses.

The charge sheets stated that she used the card on eight occasions between May 21 and 26, 2025, spending a total of S$19,191.12 at Bai Gong Premium Club and House Singapore.

Other charges listed in the court documents included cheating a private establishment into providing S$10,101 worth of beverages by using the company credit card.

She was also charged with criminal breach of trust involving S$66,000 and another S$8,000, which she had allegedly misappropriated for personal expenses.

A separate theft charge involved other valuables belonging to Lim, including a Christian Dior perfume worth S$705, Tiffany & Co earrings valued at S$3,600 and a Chanel cardigan worth S$6,929.

The items, which also included a Bvlgari bracelet and several bottles of Dior and Louis Vuitton perfumes, were valued at at least S$11,234.

Caught driving against traffic after drinking

Tey was arrested in the early hours of June 3, 2025, after a traffic police officer spotted her driving against the flow of traffic along Coleman Lane towards Coleman Street.

According to the charge sheets, she had 46 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath, exceeding the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes.

She was also driving without a valid Class 3 driving licence and without third-party insurance for the vehicle.

The car had been reportedly rented by KL Health for designated drivers to use for daily errands, and Tey had been tasked with keeping its keys.

However, she took the keys without Lim’s permission while her employer was overseas and drove from the company’s office to Tanjong Pagar for dinner. — AsiaOne