Kleptomaniac school teacher pleads guilty

A PRIMARY school teacher who has a tendency to shoplift petty items such as stationery and sweets, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft yesterday in her eighth appearance in the dock in a matter of years.

Marina Murray, 33, a Grade 6 teacher at Victoria Park Grey Primary School, sobbed as her lawyer told the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court she was a diagnosed kleptomaniac.

Each case involves the theft of chocolates and sweets, among other inexpensive items. Her previous convictions date back to February 2004 – she was convicted again in July 2005, twice in 2008 and three times in 2010.

Kleptomania is an obsessive impulse to steal regardless of economic need.