A
Admiral Piett
Guest
Apr 13, 2011
Designer fined $4,000 for harassing journalist
By Khushwant Singh
Amy Chua Kwan Ming (above) had pleaded guilty on March 14, to harassing Ms Joanne Lee Li Li on four occasions in 2008 and 2009. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN
A FREELANCE interior designer was fined a total of $4,000 on Wednesday for sending insulting and threatening messages via e-mail, voicemail and letter to a journalist with The Straits Times.
Amy Chua Kwan Ming, 34, had pleaded guilty on March 14, to harassing Ms Joanne Lee Li Li, 36, on four occasions in 2008 and 2009.
Another four similar charges were taken into consideration by the district court when passing sentence.
After learning that Chua was on treatment at the Institute of Mental Health for schizophrenia, District Judge Roy Neighbour had called for a probation report to gauge her suitability for rehabilitation. However, she told the court that she was not willing to be placed on probation.
According to investigations, the two women had met once several years ago when Chua asked Ms Lee for an autograph.
In early 2008, the harassment started. There would be at least two e-mail messages every day which included confessions of love and accusations that Ms Lee was betraying that love.
Chua also left more than 80 voicemail messages for Ms Lee, lasting from under a minute to nearly an hour. In some, she was incoherent or would laugh hysterically.
