Ah nehs...

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Project manager who bribed PUB officer gets 7 months and two weeks' jail​

Ganisan Suppiah gave the PUB officer $45,169 over multiple occasions. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Samuel Devaraj

Feb 14, 2022

SINGAPORE - A project manager at a water and gas pipeline sub-contractor was approached by a Public Utilities Board (PUB) officer with a proposal for a corrupt arrangement.
Ganisan Suppiah agreed to the plan which would help expedite work for his company, Pipe Works, and ended up giving the officer $45,169 over multiple occasions.
The Singaporean, 52, was sentenced to seven months and two weeks' jail on Monday (Feb 14) after pleading guilty to one corruption charge and one charge for working with PUB officer Jamaludin Mohamed to make a false invoice.
Jamaludin was sentenced to nine months' jail in November last year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Charis Low told the court that Jamaludin - who was an assistant engineer at PUB - approached Ganisan sometime around 2017.
He was in charge of supervising the works performed by Pipe Works at PUB worksites that were subcontracted to Pipe Works by the main contractors.
Jamaludin asked for "supervision fees" in exchange for helping to facilitate and expedite Pipe Works' works at the sites, which Ganisan agreed to.

The two men agreed that Jamaludin would be paid based on the duration and complexity of the works, and that the amount would be between 2 and 5 per cent of the invoices billed by Pipe Works to the main contractors.
DPP Low said: "(Jamaludin) helped facilitate and expedite Pipe Works' works through means such as asking the main contractor to submit documentation quickly so that (Ganisan's) workers could start work early, or giving (his) workers priority to lay the pipes at the sites."
After Pipe Works received payment from the main contractors, Ganisan passed the agreed fees to Jamaludin in cash between November 2017 and August 2018, through meet-ups at various coffee shops.

Using a company he set up in his son's name, Jamaludin prepared false invoices to bill Pipe Works for fictitious cleaning services at the various worksites, and received the gratification money instead.
In court on Monday, DPP Low asked for a sentence of eight months' jail for Ganisan, acknowledging that Jamaludin had been the one who initiated the arrangement.
Ganisan, who was present in court, was represented by lawyer N. Divanan who asked for a sentence of not more than four months' jail for his client.

Mr Divanan said his client was not a public servant, and the same aggravating factors that resulted in the sentence for Jamaludin should not apply. He also reiterated that the former PUB officer was the initiator in this case.
DPP Low countered that while Ganisan was not a public servant, he had given a bribe to one, hence a greater sentence should apply than if he had given it to a private citizen.
In a statement on Monday, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said it had investigated the matter after PUB referred the case to it.
CPIB noted that it looks into all corruption-related complaints and reports, including anonymous tips, and can be reached via various channels, including e-complaints that can be launched at this website.

Those found guilty of corruption can be jailed for up to five years, fined $100,000, or both.
The maximum jail term can be increased to seven years if it is in relation to a contract or a proposal for a contract with the Government or any public body.
Those found guilty of falsification of accounts can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined or both.

 

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Jail, caning for man who molested 11-year-old girl at void deck after trying to follow her home​

Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY
Jeevenandhan Govindan, 30, arriving at the State Courts on Feb 18, 2022.

• An 11-year-old girl was walking home when Jeevenandhan Govindan followed her, before he molested her and kissed her on the lips
• The incident happened on Feb 23, 2021 in Chua Chu Kang
• Govindan was sentenced to a year's jail and three strokes of the cane

BY

LOUISA TANG​

Published February 18, 2022

SINGAPORE — After drinking some beer with his friend in public, Jeevenandhan Govindan tailed a young girl walking home and molested her, holding onto her hands to prevent her from breaking free.
The incident left the 11-year-old fearful of going anywhere on her own, even in broad daylight, and she questioned why something like that had happened to her.
On Friday (Feb 18), Govindan was sentenced to a year's jail and three strokes of the cane for his actions a year ago.
The 30-year-old India national pleaded guilty to one count of molesting a minor under 14, with another similar charge taken into consideration for sentencing. His victim cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity.
The court heard that around 8.30pm on Feb 23 last year, Govindan had just finished work as a project engineer when he bought three cans of beer and sat near Chua Chu Kang MRT Station to speak to his wife on the phone. His friend then joined him.

At the same time, the victim left her home to go to Lot One mall and have dinner with her mother.
While she was walking along a sheltered pathway, she received a call from her mother who told her that she had forgotten her wallet. The girl then turned around to go back home and retrieve it.
Just then, Govindan and his friend, who were also on the way to Lot One, noticed her walking towards a block of flats. Govindan approached her and asked if she wanted him to accompany her home, adding that he could make her feel better.
The girl rejected him and walked away but he followed her, holding onto her hands to prevent her from leaving.
They then reached a block of flats opposite the victim’s.
Govindan took the girl to a bench and told her to sit down but she refused. He then put his hands on her shoulders.

When she struggled to break free from his grip, he touched her chest, thigh and hand. She pushed him away and told him that she wanted to leave, but he continued holding onto her hands before pulling both their face masks down and kissing her on the lips.
Shocked, she ran off towards her block and called her mother, crying as she related what had happened. The mother told her to go home and not to open the door to anyone until she returned.
They then went to Choa Chu Kang Neighbourhood Police Centre to make a police report.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Jing Min said that the incident “left a deep impact” on the victim, who “sometimes feels sad and questions why something like that happened to her”.
The prosecutor sought 12 to 15 months’ jail with three strokes of the cane, arguing that Govindan was persistent in his acts and that there was an element of wrongful restraint.
Govindan’s lawyer, Mr Krishnan Sivanandam, argued that it was a “fleeting touch” and his client had not used force or violence on her.

In sentencing Govindan, District Judge Christopher Goh said that he imposed caning not only because Govindan had touched the girl's private parts, but also because she was “extremely young”.
Those convicted of molesting a minor can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or punished with any combination of the three.

 

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Man jailed 12 weeks for damaging employer's lorry by pouring soil in engine compartment​

Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY
Seeni Paramasivam arriving at the State Courts on Feb 18, 2022.

BY

LOUISA TANG​

Published February 18, 2022

SINGAPORE — While embroiled in a work-related dispute with his employer, Seeni Paramasivam caused S$25,000 in damages to the company’s lorry by pouring soil into its engine compartment.
On Friday (Feb 18), the 40-year-old India national was jailed for 12 weeks after pleading guilty to committing mischief.
At the time of his offence, he worked for engineering firm Integrated Infrastructure as a driver and lived in its dormitory located at 2 Sungei Kadut Street 4. He got into a work-related dispute with the company in 2020.
No other details were given on the dispute, but the court heard that his monthly basic salary was S$465 and his monthly net salary — after taking into account overtime pay, allowances and other deductions — was about S$1,000.
On March 21, 2020 at about 2am, he was drinking beer in his dormitory room when he grew frustrated, feeling like his employer was not listening to him. He then decided to do something to gain the firm’s attention.

He went to the lorry parked in the dormitory’s car park and opened the engine compartment, then poured some soil into it.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Yee Jia Yong said that Paramasivam should have known his actions would damage the lorry as he was “an experienced driver”.
His actions were captured on closed-circuit television footage.
The next day, an assigned driver for the lorry reported smoke coming from the engine area. The vehicle was sent to a workshop where Paramasivam’s offences came to light.
He has since made restitution of about S$250 through salary deduction. His employer spent about S$25,000 in repairing the vehicle.
DPP Yee sought at least three months’ jail and did not seek a compensation order due to Paramasivam’s income. His lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya asked for a fine instead.
District Judge Christopher Goh said that while the cost of repairing the damages was not the only determining factor for sentencing, it played a big part in it.
For mischief, Paramasivam could have been jailed for up to two years or fined, or punished with both.

 

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10 months' jail for man who bit off tip of co-worker's finger in scuffle​

Logan Govindaraj pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt. PHOTO: ST FILE

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Feb 25, 2022

SINGAPORE - A construction worker bit off the tip of his colleague's little finger in a scuffle after falsely accusing the latter of sleeping with other men in their dormitory.
A portion of 42-year-old Muthu Selvam's left pinky was later found at the crime scene but a doctor, who attended to him, could not reattach it to his hand.
His attacker, Logan Govindaraj, now 31, was on Friday (Feb 25) sentenced to 10 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt.

Both men are Indian nationals.

At 4.30pm on Dec 6, 2020, Logan joined Mr Muthu and another worker, who was playing music and drinking alcohol, in a lorry parked near their dormitory at an industrial estate in Kranji Crescent.

The court heard that Logan drank at least three cans of beer.

While drunk, he scolded Mr Muthu and falsely accused him of sleeping with the other workers. Mr Muthu told him to stop lying and asked him to leave.

After both of them got off the lorry, Logan kept shouting and obstructed Mr Muthu, who pushed him out of the way while placing his left hand on Logan's chest.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Melissa Lee told the court: "The accused bit the victim's left pinky knowing he would likely cause grievous hurt to him."
Mr Muthu, who was bleeding profusely, retaliated by slapping Logan's head and grabbing his shirt.
Realising that the tip of his finger was missing, Mr Muthu went to clean it and asked his colleagues to call for an ambulance. He was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.

 

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Ex-senior director at NParks jailed 4 months, ordered to pay $900 penalty for corruption​

Teva Raj Palanisamy was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and ordered to pay a penalty of $900 for corruption. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Jean Iau

Feb 28, 2022

SINGAPORE - Between 2018 and 2020, a former senior director at National Parks Board (NParks) would get free lifts to and from Singapore and Johor Baru in exchange for giving business to a grass cutting company contracted by NParks.
On Monday (Feb 28), Teva Raj Palanisamy, 70, was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and ordered to pay a penalty of $900 for corruption.
One other charge for accepting a hotel stay in Macau in 2018 from another contractor, Ho Eng Huat Construction (HEHC), was taken into account in his sentencing.
Teva Raj worked in the Municipal Landscapes Division which maintains the greenery on government land by contracting private companies for these services.
In exchange for being more lenient with breaches, where a penalty could be imposed on the contracted company, Teva Raj accepted six round trips across the Causeway from grass cutting and greenery company Soon Sin Contracts' director Ong Eng Soon.
Mr Ong was also a GrabHitch driver and would usually charge $150 for each round-trip from Singapore to Malaysia.
The court heard that between August 2018 and March 2020, the six trips to and from Johor Baru were for a function, a meeting, a dinner party, a visit to Teva Raj's brother with his family, and two visits to a law firm to attend to a personal matter. Two trips involved Teva Raj being picked up from his office in 1 Cluny Road.

He did not offer to pay Mr Ong for the services, nor did Mr Ong ask for payment, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Victoria Ting.
Another former NParks officer, Mr Johnny Go, director at the division at the time, joined Teva Raj on two occasions.
He has been issued a stern warning, while Mr Ong was given a conditional warning.
Sometime in 2019, HEHC was experiencing manpower delays and Teva Raj suggested to HEHC to get Soon Sin to step in as a sub-contractor. Soon Sin took over HEHC's works for a period of three months.
Teva Raj also instructed NParks staff not to issue any notice of infringements to HEHC as this would cause disruption to the works.
Teva Raj's lawyer, Mr Bernard Sahagar, told the court that NParks had become his client's "family and passion". Teva Raj started working there in 1980.
He argued that Mr Ong and Teva Raj were close friends and, in retrospect, Teva Raj should have been more careful with his interactions.
Mr Ong told Teva Raj he made frequent trips to Malaysia and Teva Raj asked if he could go with him, said Mr Lee. The lawyer added that Teva Raj accepts that Mr Ong felt obligated to say yes to him.
Mr Lee told the court that Teva Raj's wife, a Malaysian, died in 2016 and he was primarily making the trips to Malaysia to settle matters involving her will.
For corruption, Teva Raj could have been fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to seven years or both.

 

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Woman gets jail for cheating victim in ruse where her son pretended to be judiciary members​

Devaki Gopal Muthu was sentenced to 20 months and two weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to a cheating charge. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent


MAR 4, 2022

SINGAPORE - A mother-and-son pair worked together to cheat an elderly man of $113,400 by claiming that they needed money to pay for expenses relating to their "ongoing legal proceedings".
The son, Rajeshvran Veerappan, even called the complainant, Mr Alran Foo, 71, multiple times and pretended to be prominent members of the judiciary such as Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and then Principal District Judge Bala Reddy, who is now a senior district judge.
Rajeshvran's mother, Devaki Gopal Muthu, would pretend to be a court secretary called "Sara Goh" to induce Mr Foo to transfer money to them.
On Friday (March 4), Devaki, 62, was sentenced to 20 months and two weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to a cheating charge. Rajeshvran, 38, had been dealt with in court earlier.
The Singaporean pair have made no restitution.
The court heard that Devaki got to know Mr Foo through her boyfriend, who had bought on insurance plan from him. Rajeshvran also became acquainted with Mr Foo, through the boyfriend, who has since died.
The mother-and-son pair then conspired to cheat Mr Foo.

From about Nov 24, 2016, to about May 12, 2017, they sent text messages and made calls to Mr Foo, telling him that they needed money to pay for expenses relating to their "ongoing legal proceedings".
Court documents did not disclose details about the "proceedings" and how Mr Foo was implicated in them.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Samyata Ravindran said: "When the complainant expressed any reluctance, Devaki and Rajeshvran would tell him that he would get into trouble with the courts.
"Both Devaki and Rajeshvran promised that once the legal proceedings concluded, they would pay the complainant back all his money, knowing that they would not do so."
The pair managed to convince Mr Foo to transfer large sums of cash into their bank accounts on 38 instances.


The prosecutor said Mr Foo had to borrow from friends and banks to make the transfers.
She added: "He struggled to make the repayments. The complainant was devastated and even expressed suicidal thoughts, especially when his familial relationships were affected.
"His brother refuses to speak to him and he can no longer to visit his ageing mother, who lives with his brother."
Devaki was represented by lawyer Riyach Hussain, who told the court on Friday that Rajeshvran was the mastermind behind the ruse, while his client "merely followed instructions".
Devaki's bail has been set at $10,000 and she was ordered to surrender herself at the State Courts on April 4 to begin serving her sentence.

 

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Jail for man who molested stewardess during flight while he was her supervisor​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Mar 7, 2022

SINGAPORE - A man who molested a stewardess on board a flight while he was working as her supervisor was on Monday (March 7) sentenced to five weeks' jail.
The Singaporean, now 50, was the highest-ranking cabin crew member on the flight that day when he smacked her right buttock.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong had earlier convicted him of a molestation charge in January after a trial.
Details of the man, the woman and the carrier cannot be disclosed owing to a gag order to protect her identity. It was not mentioned in court on Monday if he is still working for the carrier.
He committed the offence while they were on board a turnaround flight from Singapore to Manila in May 2019. She was then reporting directly to him.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Wei Liang had earlier said in his submissions that 30 minutes before the plane landed in Manila, the captain made an announcement for the cabin crew to prepare for landing.
The woman was attending to a business class passenger at the time.

During the trial, she testified that she was standing with her "knees slightly bent, upper body slightly leaning forward... (and) perhaps, tilted a bit towards the chair".
The DPP added: "The victim recounted that as she was attending to the passenger and standing in the manner described, she felt a 'smack' on her right buttock, and her body 'jolted up' in reaction to the contact.
"She testified that she described the contact as a 'smack' due to the 'severity of the contact', which was 'hard and surprising'."

The woman then saw the man walking past her on her left and there was no one else behind her.
The man turned around, looked at her and commented on the way she was standing.
The woman had earlier told the court that he talked to her in a "cheeky or playful manner".
The court heard that she did not confront him immediately as she was shocked and did not know what to do.

She later went to the galley and told a leading steward about what the man had done. The offender later apologised to her, the court heard.
After the plane landed in Singapore, she lodged a police report on May 5, 2019.
During the trial, the offender denied touching or slapping her buttock.
He had claimed to have only "tapped" the victim when he saw that she was leaning against a seat and her buttocks were "protruding" into the aisle.
The DPP had earlier said: "He described the victim's posture as 'provocative' and claimed to have touched the victim to correct her posture."
On Monday, DPP Lee urged the court to sentence the man to between six and eight weeks' jail, stressing that the offender had exploited his position of trust.

Defence lawyer Sunil Sudheesan pleaded for his client to be given either a fine or a day in jail with a fine.
He told Judge Ng that the man's offence involved a fleeting touch and there was no skin to skin contact.
Mr Sudheesan later told the court that his client intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence.
Separately, the man is also accused of molesting a second woman and the pre-trial conference for this case will be held on April 5.

 

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Two students fined over New Year's Eve gathering at Clarke Quay that breached Covid-19 rules​

Verma Pulkit (left) and Harjaz Singh gathered with around six others. They were fined $3,000 and $2,000 respectively for breaching Covid-19 rules. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG
Osmond Chia

Mar 8, 2022

SINGAPORE - Two students involved in the gathering of hundreds of people at Clarke Quay on New Year's day were fined on Tuesday (March 8) after pleading guilty in court.
One of them, Verma Pulkit, 22, who was caught on camera spraying champagne at the crowd while unmasked, was fined $3,000 for breaching Covid-19 regulations.
His friend, Harjaz Singh, who was in the same group of 10 friends celebrating a birthday party at Clarke Quay, was fined $2,000.
The pair gathered with around eight others, including Ateesh Ashutosh Rao, 22, and Shyama Kumar Sharath, 19.
They wanted to celebrate Verma's birthday and usher in the new year at Clarke Quay, when they joined a large crowd that gathered ahead of the countdown to Jan 1, the court heard.
The incident, which was captured on video and uploaded on social media, is believed to have involved hundreds in a spontaneous countdown party in front of Riverside Point, The Straits Times reported.
Videos online show a rowdy crowd cheering, singing and celebrating in what the authorities have branded a blatant flouting of Covid-19 safe management rules and a potential superspreader event.

Deputy Public Prosecutor V. Jesudevan said that at around midnight, Verma climbed the parapet of the Read Bridge when someone handed him a bottle of champagne, which he used to spray at the crowd while unmasked.
The police arrived at the scene shortly after to disperse the crowd.
Singh was also unmasked during this time and their offences were caught on camera.

Singh's lawyer, Mr Akesh Abhilash, said the group had not planned to congregate with the large crowd and asked the judge for empathy as Singh lived alone.
He said: "A lower fine of $1,000 would be a more than sufficient lesson for this young man."
Taking the prosecution's sentencing position, District Judge A. Sangeetha said Singh and Verna made a choice to participate in the gathering.
She said: "The Covid-19 measures are mandated to curb the spread of the virus. It is important that they are complied with so as to not negate collective efforts to slow down the spread of Covid-19."

Videos showed the rowdy crowd cheering, singing, celebrating and counting down to the New Year. PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM TIKTOK
At least 10 people have been charged in court for their involvement in the large-scale gathering at Clarke Quay that day.
Brooks-Potts William Alexander had his charges dropped earlier on Tuesday after paying a composition fine, the court heard.
Another alleged attendee, Kotra Venkata Sai Rohankrishna, who is said to have attended a gathering in a Spiderman costume and interacted with about 20 people, will return to court later this month.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Feb 28 that 11 people were issued composition fines of $1,000 each for breaching safe management measures (SMMs), bringing the total number of people fined in relation to the incident to 15.
URA wrote in a statement: "As we are still in the midst of a pandemic, it is important that everyone is socially responsible and complies with the prevailing SMMs.
"We urge everyone to play their part to protect their own health and that of others," URA said, adding that the authorities will take enforcement action against errant individuals and businesses if needed.
Those found guilty of breaching Covid-19 regulations can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

 

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CNB officer convicted of voluntarily causing hurt to get confession​

The judge said Vengedesh Raj Nainar Nagarajan was "evasive" when he gave his testimony in court earlier. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

MAR 18, 2022, 12:18 PM SGT

SINGAPORE - An officer from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has been convicted of three counts of voluntarily causing hurt to extort a confession from a man, who was then suspected to be a drug offender, in January 2017.
On Friday (March 18), District Judge Salina Ishak found Vengedesh Raj Nainar Nagarajan, now 35, guilty of the offences following a trial.
The judge said the accused was "evasive" when he gave his testimony in court earlier.
The Singaporean, who has been suspended since October 2019, had committed the offences against Sivabalan Kanniappan after the latter was found with drugs on him at Woodlands Checkpoint.
The Malaysian, then 34, has since been convicted of drug offences and given 15 years' jail with 13 strokes of the cane.
In their submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutors Han Ming Kuang and Timothy Ong said that before Sivabalan was assaulted, he was stopped for an inspection when he entered Singapore through the checkpoint at around 3.40pm on Jan 2, 2017.

A blue bundle, suspected to contain controlled drugs, was found in a raincoat bag at the rear box of his motorcycle.

He was handed over to the CNB Woodlands team and an officer recorded a statement from him.
The prosecutors said: "In this statement, Sivabalan denied knowledge of the blue bundle. He claimed he had lent his motorcycle to his roommate 'Sivan'.
"Apart from this, he had no explanation why the blue bundle was in his raincoat bag."

Sivabalan later provided a urine sample and Vengedesh, then a corporal with the bureau, arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint CNB office at around 6am after he was activated to attend to the case.
Prior to his arrival, Vengedesh was briefed that an Indian man - Sivabalan - had been arrested and that Vengedesh was needed to communicate with him in Tamil.
The two men later met and the court heard that Sivabalan noticed that Vengedesh reeked of alcohol. The pair later went to a toilet and Vengedesh started talking to Sivabalan.
The DPPs told the court that the initial interactions with Vengedesh were friendly and casual as the officer tried to build rapport with Sivabalan.
But this changed when the conversation turned to the blue bundle and Sivabalan continued with his denials.
The prosecutors added: "The accused then slapped the left side of Sivabalan's head, punched his left arm, slapped his face with the back of his hand and kicked the left side of his knee.
"As the assaults took place, Sivabalan cried and told the accused to stop. He did not fight back and eventually admitted bringing the bundle into Singapore and that it had been given to him by 'Nesh'."
The court heard that an escorting officer saw the assault but did not stop it. The men, including Sivabalan, then left the toilet at 6.14am.
As Sivabalan was giving his second statement, Vengedesh asked him what the blue bundle contained. Sivabalan was taken back to the toilet when he denied knowledge of its contents.
The prosecutors said: "Once they were in the toilet, the accused punched Sivabalan's left bicep, punched his left elbow and kicked his left leg between the waist and mid-thigh more than once. He did not scream for help as he thought no help would be forthcoming, and he also feared that if he cried out, the assault would be even more severe.
"During the assaults, the accused kept asking Sivabalan to admit that he knew what the bundle contained. During this time, Sivabalan was also crying in pain."
The assault stopped when another officer intervened and they left the toilet at 8.43am.
The prosecutors said Vengedesh assaulted Sivabalan for the third time after a second bundle of drugs fell out of the raincoat bag.
Vengedesh's offences came to light after doctors examined Sivabalan, who had complained of pain to body parts including his left lower ribs. He then revealed that he had been assaulted.
The DPPs said that, according to CNB protocols, the interview should have been conducted "without any threat, inducement or promise or oppression exercised on the suspect".
They added: "The interviewer should also not use any physical violence on the suspect... Instead, the suspect should be treated humanely."
Vengedesh is represented by lawyers Peter Keith Fernando and Kavita Pandey.
The defence's case was that Vengedesh did not assault Sivabalan during the three occasions in the toilet.
The DPPs said: "While he admitted being loud and firm to Sivabalan, he denied any form of physical assault against him."
Vengedesh's mitigation and sentencing are expected to take place on April 29.
Following his conviction on Friday, he still has three other pending charges for offences including harassment.
For each count of voluntarily causing hurt to extort a confession, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned.

 

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Jail, caning for man who took part in 2014 heist involving more than $624k in cash​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Mar 24, 2022

SINGAPORE - He was part of a group that robbed the manager of a money-changing business in 2014, and made off with more than $624,000 in cash.
David Mark Mari, now 41, and eight other men left Singapore for Malaysia after committing the heist that took place in the presence of their victim's two-year-old son.
David, who was paid $7,000 for taking part in the robbery, was later caught in Malaysia and sent back to Singapore on July 28, last year.
On Thursday (March 24), he was sentenced to seven years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to a robbery charge.
Most of his accomplices, who were then between 29 and 44 years old, have been dealt with in court earlier. All of them were given jail terms with caning.
They are: Ravi Sandhira Sagaran, Vekneswaran Sekaran, Tachana Moorthy Peromal, Saravanak Kumar Karunanithy, Selvam Karupaya and Annadurai Raman.
The court case involving an eighth man, Baskaran Balakrishnan, now 39, is still pending.A ninth man, Sivaraam Monion, then 29, is still at large.

Eight of the men are Malaysians while Annadurai was a Singapore permanent resident at the time.
The victim was a 35-year-old Singapore permanent resident.
His father-in-law, who lived in Aljunied Crescent, was the director of the money-changing firm where he worked.


The court heard that some time around April 2014, some of the men jointly planned to commit robbery and make off with cash transported by the firm's couriers.
Annadurai roped in David five months later.
On Nov 4, 2014, the offenders got ready for the heist - one day before committing the offence.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Goh Yong Ngee said: "The robbers also wore balaclavas - face masks which they had previously prepared - to conceal their faces during the robbery.
"They also placed plasters over their fingertips so as not to leave traces of their fingerprints behind during the robbery."
The victim and his son left their home at around midnight the next day and drove a car to Changi Airport to pick up two of the company's couriers.
One of them was carrying a bag containing more than $624,000.

Court documents do not state if the pair had flown into Singapore with the monies.
The bag was placed in the boot of the car and the victim then drove the couriers to their homes in Bedok.
He was on his way to his father-in-law's home to store the cash when the robbers ambushed his car at an open-air carpark at around 12.50am.
The victim had just reversed his vehicle into a parking lot when David purposely stopped his car perpendicular to it, trapping the victim.
The terrified victim then locked all the doors of his car.
One of the robbers broke a window on the driver's side of the vehicle and shouted at the victim, demanding that he exit his vehicle.
One of the robbers also threatened the victim and told him in Tamil: "You want me to kill your son?"
The DPP said: " One of the robbers then reached into the victim's car to unlock and open its door. (He) also removed the keys from the ignition preventing the victim from driving away."

One of the robbers also grabbed the victim's collar and dragged him out of the car, before punching the victim once on his body.
"The victim was then restrained outside his car...All (this) while, the victim's then two-year-old son was seated in the front passenger seat," added the DPP.
The robbers took the bag from the boot of the victim's car and placed it in David's car before fleeing the scene.
An eyewitness from a nearby block of flats saw the heist and alerted the police.
The robbers fled to Malaysia but most of them were arrested and brought back to Singapore.
The court heard that most of the monies have not been recovered.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Malaysian jailed after giving another man his boarding pass at Changi Airport​

The pair met in Changi Airport and the exchange was done in a toilet. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Samuel Devaraj

Mar 24, 2022


SINGAPORE - An unemployed Malaysian agreed to hand over a boarding pass in his name to another man to enable the latter to fly to Germany, in exchange for money.
The other person, who is from Sri Lanka, wanted to go to Berlin for better job opportunities.
The pair met in Changi Airport - after flying in from Kuala Lumpur and Colombo separately on Feb 10 - and the exchange was done in a toilet.
On Thursday (March 24), the Malaysian man Thasrathan Jegatheson, 49, pleaded guilty to a cheating charge in court and was sentenced to four months' jail.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En told the court that 26-year-old Mohanathas Kaniyamuthan engaged a human trafficking syndicate in January this year, with his family paying about $13,300.
In February, Thasrathan received a call from a man named Raja, a passenger he met while working as a flight attendant for Malaysia Airlines, asking if he wanted to participate in the arrangement.
Although Thasrathan knew the job, which would see him get paid over RM3,000 (S$965) and an opportunity to spend two days in Bangkok, was illegal, he agreed, due to his financial circumstances.

Thasrathan gave Raja details which included his passport number, Malaysian identity number and passport serial code.
He was asked to take a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and pass the result to Mohanathas.
After an earlier attempt to execute the plan was cancelled due to an invalid PCR test, Thasrathan took a Scoot flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on Feb 10.

The same day, Mohanathas boarded a flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka, that transited in Singapore.
While he used his own passport for this flight, he was instructed to collect the boarding pass and other travel documents from Thasrathan in Singapore in exchange for US$1,000 (S$1,360) cash, and then use a forged passport in Thasrathan's name to travel to Berlin.
The pair was told how the other man looks like and not to communicate by speech, only by gestures.
They met at Transfer Area B of Changi Airport and made the exchange of documents and money while in adjoining cubicles in the toilet.


After they parted ways, Mohanathas was arrested by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers. Court documents do not indicate why he was hauled up.
He presented his legitimate boarding pass to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to the officers, but they did a more thorough search and found the boarding pass to Berlin and travel documents handed to him by Thasrathan.
They also found the forged passport in a special compartment in the luggage.
Thasrathan, who had gone for a meal and a smoke, was later arrested by ICA officers.
DPP Chong said: "The messages on the phone between him and Raja could not be retrieved as he had complied with Raja's instructions to delete the messages.
"(Thasrathan) cooperated with the authorities after he was arrested, but was unable to provide further substantive information on Raja beyond Raja's phone number."
The DPP asked for four to five months' imprisonment for Thasrathan.
In his written sentencing submissions, he said: "(Thasrathan) flew to Singapore for the express purpose of the fraud. The fact the parties did not exit through to immigration would further reduce the possibility of capture and checks.
"The entire operation was carefully premeditated, and (Thasrathan) kept in close contact with Raja throughout directing the operation."
For cheating by personation, Thasrathan could have been jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.

 

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Company director jailed for operating excavator without training, leading to worker's death​

Kok Yufeng
Transport Correspondent

Mar 29, 2022

SINGAPORE - Despite having no formal training on how to operate an excavator, the director of a construction waste disposal company hopped into one to move it out of the way of a worker unloading waste from a skip bin truck.
But while Kasi Seenivasan, 58, was operating the excavator, it struck the worker who was standing near the truck, causing him to hit his head and resulting in his death.
For committing a negligent act at work that endangered the safety of others, Kasi, a Singapore permanent resident, was jailed for six months and two weeks on Monday (March 28).
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement on Tuesday that the director of SKN Transport and Services faced two other charges that were taken into consideration during sentencing.
One was for failing to ensure the safety of the worker as the director of SKN and the other was for hiring the deceased worker illegally.
MOM's investigations found that Kasi was not equipped with the skills to handle an excavator safely.
But after his company purchased one in September 2018, he would operate it on his own within his company premises in Jalan Papan in Jurong.

While training courses on how to operate excavators are available, Kasi learnt to operate the machine by observing how others did it, court documents said.
The fatal accident occurred on March 1, 2019, some time after 6.10pm.
The deceased worker, Mr Cabrieal Edwin Jayakumar, who was illegally employed by SKN as a truck driver, was driving a skip bin truck at the company premises to offload some hardcore waste, which consists of construction waste, bricks, tiles, rocks and gravel.
But at the place where the skip bin was to be emptied, the skip bin's door was blocked by an excavator parked nearby.
Kasi tried to move the excavator out of the way but ended up hitting Mr Jayakumar, who was standing near the left rear side of the truck.
The worker was taken to National University Hospital, where he died the next day. The cause of death was certified as a head injury.


MOM's prosecutor said Kasi had operated the excavator in an unsafe manner as he had failed to keep a proper lookout and appreciate the turning radius of the excavator, causing it to hit Mr Jayakumar.
On Tuesday, MOM's director of Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate, Mr Sebastian Tan, said the accident could have been prevented if a trained worker had operated the excavator instead.
Mr Tan added: "Kasi's negligence shows a complete lack of focus on workers' safety. MOM would like to remind all stakeholders to ensure vehicles and machinery are operated only by trained personnel, to prevent further occurrences of such accidents."
For committing a negligent act at work that endangered the safety or health of himself or others, Kasi could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to $30,000, or both.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Women who stole over $6,800 from SAF Yacht Club gets 1 year 3 months' jail​

Wong Shiying

Apr 7, 2022

SINGAPORE - She lied about not having a criminal record when applying for a job at the SAF Yacht Club and later stole over $6,800 in cash from the company as a customer service assistant.
When confronted about the theft, Jai Chithra Sunmugvale, 42, claimed the cash was not secure in the safe and that she had brought it home for safekeeping.
Jai also cheated her way into collecting rent on behalf of her sister-in-law when she was not authorised to do so.
On Thursday (April 7) she was sentenced to a year and three months' jail after pleading guilty to one count each of criminal breach of trust and cheating.
A further 50 days' jail was added to her sentence as she had committed the offences while on remission for previous convictions.
The court heard that Jai's responsibilities as a customer service assistant at the yacht club included manning the front desk, accepting cash payments and recording the transactions.
Before leaving work each day, she had to transfer the money from the cash register into a safe, to which she had thecombination.

On Nov 29, 2020, Jai secretly kept $235 in cash that had been paid by a customer and also emptied the cash register of $6,635, which she took home.
She spent all of it on household expenses and other financial obligations.
The next day, one of Jai's colleagues discovered the shortfall in the cash in the safe and informed an operations executive.

When questioned, the accused admitted to taking the money home with her and claimed to have forgotten to return it.
Separately, in December 2020, Jai agreed to help her sister-in-law, 39, look for a flat to buy.
After a unit was chosen and the option to purchase signed, the seller of the flat said she needed more time to look for a home.
Jai told the seller she could continue staying in the flat for $1,200 a month.
She took a month's payment from the seller even though her sister-in-law had not given her permission to rent out the flat.
Jai's sister-in-law alerted the police.
Seeking a sentence of 13 to 16 months' jail with 51 days' enhanced punishment, Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryont Chin said Jai was unremorseful as she gave spurious defences after her theft was discovered.
He noted that this was not her first brush with the law, as she had committed similar offences in 2006 and 2019.
Jai, who was unrepresented, pleaded with the judge for leniency, saying that she has a three-year-old daughter.
"My child is in the care of my aged mother, who is 73. Being away from her is more excruciating than being locked up here," said Jai, who appeared via video-link while in remand.
For criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined.
Cheating carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

 

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Trainer who tricked Workforce Development Agency into disbursing over $27,000 jailed 20 weeks​

Marsh Terranova Tiruchellam was sentenced to 20 weeks' jail after pleading guilty to three counts of falsifying accounts. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Wong Shiying

Apr 8, 2022

SINGAPORE - A man defrauded the former Workforce Development Agency (WDA) into disbursing more than $27,000 in training grants by falsifying records of courses he claimed to have conducted but did not.
Marsh Terranova Tiruchellam, 54, was part of a group of five that had cheated the WDA, now known as SkillsFuture Singapore, into issuing around $73,000 in total.
He was on Friday (April 8) sentenced to 20 weeks' jail after pleading guilty to three counts of falsifying accounts.
Another three similar charges were taken into consideration in his sentencing.
The court heard that Marsh was employed as a trainer at training provider Loyal Reliance between 2013 and March 2015.
Loyal Reliance was approved by the WDA under the Funding for Employer-based Training scheme, which allowed companies to apply for grants to fund training courses for their workers.
The funding scheme sought to encourage firms to upgrade their workers' skills by defraying their costs.

Some time in June 2014, Marsh was asked by Serene Loh Peh Wen, an independent training consultant at Loyalty Reliance, to conduct six courses for manufacturing company Yoke Mah Plasterceil. The courses did not actually take place.
He agreed knowing that it was a ruse to cheat WDA.
Marsh taught his colleagues - Loh, then 47, and training consultant Sebastian Chen Yuren, then 34 - how to prepare the required documents to cover up the fraudulent scheme.

He also signed on attendance records showing that Yoke Mah's employees had attained full attendance and blocked out training dates on his calendar to create a false impression that the courses were real.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Koh Mun Keong said: "Marsh was also involved in the falsifying of assessment forms... (showing) that the employees (of Yoke Mah) had passed the assessments successfully."
After the training dates, Marsh submitted claims to Loyal Reliance for his training fees.
As a result of his offences, WDA disbursed $27,068 for the six courses to Yoke Mah, of which Marsh was paid $7,465.

The ruse came to light when the police's Commercial Affairs Department received a complaint from a WDA senior manager in October 2015, alleging that Yoke Mah and Loyal Reliance had submitted falsified claims to it.
Loh, Chen, Loyal Reliance trainer Patrick Ho Kok Wing, then 56, and Yoke Mah manager Grace Siew Hoong Hua, then 45, were earlier convicted in court for their roles in the scheme of falsifying records for non-existent courses to defraud WDA of $72,903.
They were each sentenced to between 11 weeks and 29 months in jail.
For each count of falsification of accounts, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Entertainment club operator jailed for over 3 years, fined for labour trafficking 3 women​

Alagar Balasubramanian imposed financial demands that the women would not be able to repay if they wished to quit. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Jean Iau

Apr 19, 2022

SINGAPORE - The operator of an entertainment club has been jailed for 41 months and fined $27,365 for labour trafficking three women who were hired as performing artists.
In a statement on Tuesday (April 19), the Ministry of Manpower said that Jaiho Club operator Alagar Balasubramanian, 47, imposed financial demands that the women would not be able to repay if they wished to quit.
They were not paid any salaries throughout their employment.
Balasubramanian also seized their passports and mobile phones and threatened to hurt them if they returned to India without his approval.
Two of the women were assaulted by him.
Those found guilty of human trafficking here face a mandatory jail sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $100,000 for first-time offenders.
They also face up to six strokes of the cane.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

27 months' jail and three strokes of the cane for security officer who extorted money from Japanese man​

Ganesan Gunasagaran threatened to have the man investigated for illegally entering the development he was working at. PHOTO: CORRUPT PRACTICES INVESTIGATION BUREAU
Samuel Devaraj

Apr 21, 2022



SINGAPORE - A security guard at a condominium caught a couple leaving a handicap toilet together and threatened to have the Japanese man investigated for illegally entering the development.
Ganesan Gunasagaran, who was a senior security officer at the Seahill condominiumin in West Coast Crescent, also told the man that he had reported to the police that the pair had sex, and that she was a student.
The Japanese woman was in fact 26 and a resident of the development.
Ganesan, 33, did this so he could get money from the man, who was not a resident of the condominium.
But the guard was arrested following the incident on Oct 19 last year.
On Thursday (April 21), he was sentenced to 27 months' jail and ordered to be given three strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to one charge of extortion.
A charge each of impersonating a police officer and corruption were taken into consideration during his sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Choong said in court documents that the Japanese man, 29, had entered the toilet on the 24th floor of Seahill condominium at about 11pm with the woman.
After leaving the toilet, the pair, who were both teachers, spent time talking near the bathroom.
Ganesan, who was employed by Metropolis Security Systems, approached the pair and accused the man of trespassing, and claimed he had photographed the two of them leaving the toilet together.

DPP Choong said: "(Ganesan) insisted that the victim had committed 'serious offences' and the victim could go to jail for them.
"At the same time, (he) claimed to want to 'help' the victim and said, 'what can I do for you?'"
Frightened, the man asked Ganesan to go somewhere else to talk but to allow the woman to return to her unit.
Ganesan agreed and the two men went to West Coast Park, where the guard continued telling the man that he had committed a serious offence and would be punished heavily.
He also told the victim not to worry as he could do something for him.
"The accused said this intending to thereby extort money from the victim, and the victim understood this," said DPP Choong.

Under the pretence of sending a text message to the woman, the man began using his phone to record their conversation.
Ganesan asked the man if he wanted to settle the matter, to which the man responded by asking if Ganean wanted "tips".
Ganesan agreed and said he wanted $10,000 and claimed the pair's faces were clearly caught on camera and that he had to review footage from 90 cameras to delete the images.
He also told the man that if he were to be charged in court, he will go to prison and be removed from the country.
Ganesan then claimed he was an undercover officer with the purported police licensing sector.
The Singapore Police Force has a Police Licensing and Regulatory Department, which provides public entertainment licences, among other things.
In fear, the Japanese man agreed to pay $2,000 first, before transferring the rest of the money within a week.
He asked Ganesan to let him return home to prepare the money and the guard agreed.

While waiting for the money, Ganesan sent screenshots of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage of the handicap toilet to the Japanese man and claimed he was at work at Police Cantonment Complex.
He also said he had alerted officers at Clementi Police Division about the incident.
To instil a sense of urgency, Ganesan demanded that the man call him back to answer questions about the woman's age.
He claimed he knew the owner of the unit where the woman resides and said he was holding investigations and urged the victim to transfer money to his bank account.
The victim subsequently lodged a police report. He did not give Ganesan any money.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau arrested Ganesan on Oct 22 last year.
In submissions, DPP Choong said Ganesan had abused his position as a security guard at Seahill and betrayed the trust reposed in him by the condo.
For putting a person in fear of harm in order to commit extortion, Ganesan could have been jailed between two and five years, and caned.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for man who used another person's TraceTogether app to enter bar as he was unvaccinated​

Utheyakumar Nallathamby was sentenced to five days' jail. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

PUBLISHED

Apr 27, 2022

SINGAPORE - A retiree, who was unvaccinated at the time, used another man's TraceTogether app to enter a Sentosa bar last year amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Utheyakumar Nallathamby, 65, admitted to a cheating by personation charge on Wednesday (April 27) and was sentenced to five days' jail.
The actual owner of the app, Malaysian Kiran Singh Rughbir Singh, 37, who had allowed Utheyakumar to pose as him, was also given five days' jail in February after he pleaded guilty to a similar charge.
The court heard that Singh and his girlfriend had earlier met Utheyakumar in Hougang for drinks on Sept 9 last year.
The trio later went to Sentosa for more drinks and decided to go to Bikini Bar, as their first choice, Coastes bar, was crowded, with no seats at the beach area.
But an assistant manager of Bikini Bar did not allow Utheyakumar to enter as he was unvaccinated.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Shen Wanqin said that after leaving Bikini Bar, Singh suggested that his girlfriend and the accused return to Coastes and enter the bar using Singh's TraceTogether application and vaccination status.

​

"(Singh) further suggested that the accused falsely represent himself as (Singh), by presenting the TraceTogether application and vaccination status on (Singh's) phone to an employee in charge of checking the vaccination status of dine-in patrons at Coastes."
Utheyakumar agreed with Singh's suggestions and took the younger man's mobile phone. He then went to Coastes with the woman while Singh waited outside.
After that, Utheyakumar and the woman tapped their TraceTogether application on the phones in their possession against a SafeEntry Gateway device at the bar.
An assistant manager at Coastes then allowed the pair to enter the premises.
Utheyakumar was consuming drinks there when the assistant manager of Bikini Bar spotted the retiree and recalled that she had not allowed him to enter her workplace as he was unvaccinated.
She told her counterpart at Coastes and its operations manager then conducted a check on the phone in Utheyakumar's possession.


The man then found out that the device belonged to Singh and reported the matter to a duty manager of Sentosa Development Corporation.
The police were alerted soon after.
For cheating by personation, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for CNB officer who assaulted man to get confession and hurled vulgarities at cop​

Vengedesh Raj Nainar Nagarajan has been suspended since October 2019. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Apr 29, 2022

SINGAPORE - A Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer who was under the influence of alcohol when he assaulted a man - then suspected to be a drug offender - to extort a confession was sentenced to five years' jail on Friday (April 29).
Vengedesh Raj Nainar Nagarajan, who has been suspended since October 2019, was also ordered to give the Malaysian victim, Sivabalan Kanniappan, then 34, a compensation of $4,500 for his pain and suffering.
Last month, District Judge Salina Ishak found Vengedesh, now 35, guilty of three counts of voluntarily causing hurt to extort a confession from Sivabalan.
In his submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok said: "The accused continually showed a disregard for the integrity of the law enforcement vocation he had been tasked with. He had showed up for work that day with alcoholic breath.
"He continued to drink from a beer can while in the office itself that morning, even taking steps to hide it with a brown paper bag to make it less obvious to the CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras. He assaulted (Sivabalan) in the toilet (while) under the influence of... alcohol."
On Friday, Vengedesh also admitted to an unrelated harassment charge - using abusive words on a policeman - and was fined $4,000.
He had joined some friends to drink beer at the void deck of a Canberra Street block of flats near Sembawang Road on March 14, 2020 and became drunk.

At around 11.20pm, an eyewitness alerted the police about the group and the policeman arrived at the scene with his partner.
The two police officers then told Vengedesh's group that they were not allowed to consume alcohol in public at that hour and advised them to leave.
Vengedesh later hurled vulgarities at the policeman and was arrested.

Separately, he had committed the offences against Sivabalan after the latter was found with drugs on him at Woodlands Checkpoint in 2017.
The Malaysian has since been convicted of drug offences and given 15 years' jail with 13 strokes of the cane.
In an earlier proceeding, DPPs Han Ming Kuang and Timothy Ong said in their submissions that before Sivabalan was assaulted, he was stopped for an inspection when he entered Singapore through the checkpoint at around 3.40am on Jan 2, 2017.


A blue bundle, suspected to contain controlled drugs, was found in a raincoat bag at the rear box of his motorcycle.
He was handed over to the CNB Woodlands team and an officer recorded a statement from him.
Sivabalan later provided a urine sample and Vengedesh, then a corporal with the bureau, arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint CNB office at around 6am after he was activated to attend to the case.
The two men later met and the court heard that Sivabalan noticed that Vengedesh reeked of alcohol. The pair went to a toilet and Vengedesh started talking to Sivabalan.
He later assaulted Sivabalan to get a confession from him.
Vengedesh's offences came to light after doctors examined Sivabalan, who had complained of pain to body parts including his left lower ribs. He then revealed that he had been assaulted.
On Friday, DPP Kok urged the court to sentence him to between five and six years' jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
He also asked the court to order Vengedesh to give Sivabalan $4,500 as compensation.
Stressing that Sivabalan had no means to escape his tormentor when he was assaulted, the prosecutor said: "Far from upholding the integrity of his profession, (Vengedesh) deliberately chose to use violence, and the fear of violence, as a means of extorting a confession from the helpless, handcuffed victim before him.
"This blatant violation of the sanctity and primacy of the rule of law in criminal proceedings must be met with an equally clear deterrent signal."
Vengedesh was represented by lawyers Peter Keith Fernando and Kavita Pandey.
Mr Fernando pleaded for the court to sentence his client to not more than five years' jail for the offences involving Sivabalan.

He asked for Vengedesh to be given a week's jail for the harassment charge as he had no means to pay a fine.
The lawyer also told the court that his client had received numerous commendations and awards as a CNB officer.
On Friday, the court heard that Vengedesh will be spending three weeks behind bars if he was unable to pay the $4,500 compensation.
And if he is unable to pay the $4,000 fine, he will spend another 10 days behind bars. Vengedesh will start serving his sentence next month.
For each count of voluntarily causing hurt to extort a confession, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Repeat offender jailed after hurling racial insults at others on 3 separate occasions​

Peethambaran Dilip was sentenced to six weeks' jail after he pleaded guilty to two harassment charges. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

May 12, 2022

SINGAPORE - A repeat offender described by the prosecution as somebody with a "proclivity to treat service workers abusively" is back behind bars after he hurled racial insults at others on three separate occasions last year.
Peethambaran Dilip, 69, was on Wednesday (May 11) sentenced to six weeks' jail after he pleaded guilty to two harassment charges.
The Singaporean also admitted to one count of uttering words with the deliberate intention of wounding a man's racial feelings.
On Wednesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Zhi Hao said: "(Peethambaran) escalated his abuse in the present case to incorporate racist insults.
"This should be dealt with sternly, given the need to preserve racial harmony in Singapore."
The court heard that Peethambaran went to Clementi Public Library on June 9 last year, opened a dustbin and spat into it.
A cleaner who spotted him doing so reported the matter to the library's management.

Library officer Keith Lim approached Peethambaran and advised him not to spit into the dustbin as it was an unhygienic act, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unhappy, Peethambaran lashed out at Mr Lim and hurled racial insults at him.
The offender struck again on July 22 last year when he went to a polyclinic in Marine Parade to replenish his medication.


Patient service associate Cheok Lay Yean was manning a health monitoring station there when Peethambaran came forward, flung his queue ticket onto a counter and uttered insulting words at her.
The DPP said: "Cheok told the accused to stop, but he did not... The accused was known to the staff at the polyclinic because he had scolded polyclinic staff on previous occasions."
Peethambaran returned to the polyclinic on Oct 15 last year and went to a pharmacy counter, where pharmacist Russell Lim asked him if he was collecting his medication.

DPP Tan told the court: "The accused did not initially respond, but when Russell repeated his question, the accused uttered words to the effect of, 'Of course, I am here to collect my medication. If not, what am I here for?'."
Peethambaran also directed a racial slur at Mr Lim before leaving the premises. The police were alerted later that day.
These were not his first offences. Without revealing any details, the DPP said that Peethambaran committed criminal intimidation in 2005.
In 2017, he was also sentenced to six weeks' jail for assaulting a bus driver.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor urged District Judge Jasbendar Kaur to sentence Peethambaran to at least six weeks' jail, adding: "It is highly aggravating that the insulting words that the accused used were of a racist nature and evoked violent imagery.
"General deterrence strongly applies as a sentencing consideration, given that the accused committed the offences against front-line healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic on at least two separate occasions."
For uttering words with the deliberate intention of wounding another person's racial feelings, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.