Beauty queen gives up crown after fraud

Miss Singapore World Ris Low stole seven credit cards last year to go on a shopping spree, buying goods worth Rs 2.7 lakh

Beauty queen gives up crown after fraud

Miss Singapore World Ris Low stole seven credit cards last year to go on a shopping spree, buying goods worth Rs 2.7 lakh

Low had come under public pressure to be stripped of her 2009 title, after local media reported she stole seven credit cards last year while working at a medical clinic, buying goods worth about S$8,000 (Rs 2.7 lakh) including gold anklets and phones.

She was sentenced to two years' probation for using illegally obtained credit cards.

Organisers of the pageant ERM World Marketing said she had resigned on Tuesday of her own accord.

She will no longer represent Singapore at the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December, but her replacement has not yet been decided.

Au00a0New Low: Ris Low said she committed the crime as she suffers from bipolar disorder.

Poor English

Low had also been criticised for her poor English, mispronouncing "bikini" in a recent video, leading others in multicultural Singapore to spring to her defence and soul-searching on websites about the national character.

Low's admission that she committed the crime as a result of bipolar disorder further stoked calls for her to resign because she was seen as unsuitable to represent Singapore overseas.

Before the revelations of her conviction and psychiatric problems, Low became an object of ridicule after a video interview posted on the Internet showed her speaking fractured English.

In California Too

The scandal for Miss California 2009 Carrie Prejean started when she was accused of breaking her contract by making unscheduled public appearances with organisations opposing gay marriage, and by not revealing the pageant producers that she had topless pictures taken while being a minor.
u00a0
It was on June 10, 2009, when the producers, headed by Donald Trump, made the decision of taking away her crown and replacing her, citing "abundant violations and unfulfilling of her contractual obligations".

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels