Man first to be convicted under Protection From Harassment Act for stalking ex-girlfriend
SINGAPORE - For two years, Lai Zhi Heng stalked and harassed his ex-girlfriend by repeatedly threatening to release her nude photographs - if she did not meet him and send him more nude photographs.
Between April 2014 and November last year, the 26-year-old sent numerous harassing text messages to the 19-year-old student, uploaded nude photographs of her to the school as well as her school's Facebook group on three occasions, put up flyers with her name at public places near her home, and followed her on numerous occasions.
Lai, who is the first person to be convicted of harassment under the Protection From Harassment Act (POHA), also admitted to two other charges - rash act causing hurt to her 23-year-old brother, and threatening to post her nude photographs online if she did not follow him to his lawyer's office to provide a mitigation statement on his behalf.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheryl Janet George said Lai and the girl had a very brief sexual relationship in 2013. At that time, she had been in a romantic relationship with another man, but Lai still wanted her to be in a relationship with him.
Lai insisted on taking her to and from school daily. When she rejected his advances and refused to go out with him, he threatened to tell her parents about their sexual relationship. Out of fear, she obliged.
DPP George said when the girl broke up with her then-boyfriend due to Lai's continual harassment, she also rejected his requests to be her boyfriend. The harassment became worse.
In April 2014, he sent her an obscene picture and asked her to send one to him. When she ignored him, he threatened to go to her home and harass her. She then complied.
From that time, Lai began using the picture she had sent him to further threaten her, and even asked for more naked photographs. She sent him 30, which he then threatened to show to her mother if she refused to go out with him.
When she avoided him later that year, he became angry and put up flyers he had printed with her nude photographs and accompanying harassing messages near her home, in letter boxes and on the walls of her block.
When she tried to stop him, he wanted her to write an "apology", stating "I promise not to rebel again" 200 times.
The court heard that when she transferred to another school, Lai continued to harass her by uploading her nude photos to the school's Facebook group.
Last October, he asked her to meet him at his basement carpark at Westwood Avenue so she could apologise. She refused and walked away, and he followed her in his car.
To avoid being harassed, she transferred schools early this year.
Sometime in January this year, he approached her near her school and asked her to follow him to Regent Law at Peninsula Plaza to write a letter, pleading for leniency on his behalf. He had been charged last November. When she refused, he threatened to post her nude photos online.
District Judge Lim Keng Yeow adjourned the case to June 17 for sentencing. The maximum punishment for POHA is a $5,000 fine and 12 months' jail, and for criminal intimidation, 10 years' jail and a fine.
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