Foreign talent's contributions to Singapore

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Man drove rashly to frighten wife during argument, nearly hit police officer on road​

Chang Qing was sentenced to four weeks' jail and disqualified from driving for two years. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Christine Tan

July 11, 2023

SINGAPORE - During a heated argument with his wife, a man wanted to frighten her by driving rashly, eventually crashing his car into a kerb and nearly hitting a policewoman.
Chinese national Chang Qing, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday to four weeks’ jail, and was also disqualified from driving for two years. He intends to appeal.
He had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of driving in a rash manner likely to cause hurt.
Court documents stated that on Jan 9, 2022, Chang and his wife, Lin Jin, were at a coffee shop at Block 422 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.
After having a few drinks, they had a dispute, and were separated by other coffee shop patrons.
A man saw the incident and called the police. Sergeant Zulaikha Mohd Nasir and her colleague from Ang Mo Kio South Neighbourhood Police Centre were sent to the scene.
Before the officers arrived, Chang and his wife decided to go home, but they continued quarrelling in the car.

When Chang exited the car park next to Block 422, he stopped the car for a few seconds, then accelerated and drove across both lanes of Ang Mo Kio Street 42. The car then collided into the kerb on the opposite side of the road.
Chang later admitted to the police that he had been frustrated with his wife and wanted to cause a “jolt” to her.
He had driven like that deliberately to frighten his wife, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran.

At the time, Sgt Zulaikha and her colleague were travelling in a police car towards Block 422. They saw the collision and sounded the police car’s horn.
Sgt Zulaikha then alighted and approached Chang’s car. Upon seeing that he was reversing towards the car park, she shouted “stop, stop” and ran in front of his car to stop him from moving further.
She then ran to the driver’s side and knocked on his window to get his attention. But Chang drove the car forward and made a right turn, causing her to jump out of the car’s path to avoid being hit.

The accused admitted during police investigations that he had seen someone in the corner of his eye, but had continued to drive away regardless.
Said DPP Thiagesh: “The accused had known that there was a real risk he would cause hurt to the victim and yet unreasonably took that risk.”
Chang then drove off. Police later caught up with him in Woodlands, where he was arrested after failing a breathalyser test.
The prosecutor said if Sgt Zulaikha had not jumped out of the car’s path, she could have been seriously injured. He asked for the accused to be jailed for eight to 12 weeks and disqualified from driving for two years.
In mitigation, lawyer Mr Thomas Tham said his client was stressed by his wife’s incessant scolding, and his sense of judgment was distorted.
“He did not commit the act with deliberate disregard of the enforcement of the law by the police officer,” said Mr Tham, noting that his client was a first-time offender.
Chang is currently out on $2,000 bail while waiting to appeal.

 

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9 years’ jail for ex-employee who took over 25,000 iPhones, causing $6.7m loss to repair firm​

Lim Jen Hee, a 51-year-old Malaysian, was convicted in May of two counts of criminal breach of trust. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

July 12, 2023

SINGAPORE - A former assistant operations manager was sentenced to nine years’ jail on Wednesday for working with an accomplice to misappropriate more than 25,000 defective iPhones.
Lim Jen Hee’s offences caused a loss of more than US$5 million (S$6.7 million) to his then employer Pegatron Service Singapore, which was contractually obliged to compensate Apple.
At the time of the offences, Pegatron was in the business of providing iPhone repair services to Apple in Singapore and other countries in Asia.
Lim, a 51-year-old Malaysian, was convicted in May of two counts of criminal breach of trust.
Lim, who worked for Pegatron between June and December 2015, committed the offences with Ng Shu Kian, also known as Serene. She was the company’s logistics manager at the time.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Zhi Hao said that by committing the offences, the Singaporean woman earned more than $3.1 million in profit, while Lim earned about $3 million.
Ng, then 40, was also sentenced to nine years’ jail in 2021, after she pleaded guilty to offences including two counts of criminal breach of trust.

The offences were committed over more than 100 occasions between Jan 31, 2018, and May 15, 2019.
Lim was in charge of the production team at Pegatron, while Ng was in charge of its logistics material department.
DPP Tan had said that the production team received defective iPhones from the logistics material department and would inspect the devices to check their condition and functionality.

The production team might also conduct minimal repair work on certain models of iPhones.
After conducting the inspection and repair work, if any, the production team would then pack and return the iPhones to the logistics material department, which would be responsible for them.
Court documents stated that in late 2017, Lim found a buyer in Malaysia who was willing to purchase the devices.
Ng and Lim then agreed on a scheme to misappropriate the defective iPhones by exploiting security gaps in the company’s manual closing process.
Neither Pegatron nor Apple would realise that there were missing iPhones in Apple’s inventory.

Ng and Lim agreed that they would sell the misappropriated iPhones overseas to third parties, and split the profits between them.
As part of the scheme, Ng told one of her then subordinates to charge the battery of each iPhone she received from the repair team.
The unsuspecting woman was also told to set aside any of the devices which could be powered up, and place them in a metal cabinet in the logistics office.
On Ng’s instructions, the woman would pack the devices into boxes and raise a delivery order for them.
Ng would then arrange for a courier company to collect the boxes of iPhones. She would personally endorse the delivery orders to get past the security checks at the Pegatron warehouse.
The iPhones were delivered to a Malaysian address, which Lim had provided to Ng.
She would then raise a closure request to Apple for the cases to be closed manually. This was done to prevent Pegatron or Apple from detecting the loss of the iPhones.
Lim was responsible for liaising with buyers overseas, and paying the profits to himself and Ng.
The offences came to light when three auditors from Apple’s compliance and security team conducted a surprise audit check on Pegatron on May 21, 2019.
They discovered that there were iPhones which were unaccounted for in its inventory.
Lim will be appealing against his conviction and sentence. His bail has been set at $120,000.

 

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Jail for drunk taxi passenger who attacked elderly cabby and cop​

Chen Lei, 35, was sentenced to 22 weeks’ jail on July 13. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

July 13, 2023

SINGAPORE - An intoxicated man was riding in a taxi shortly before midnight on Feb 4, 2022, after a drinking session when he started punching the elderly cabby in an unprovoked attack.
Following the attack, as Chen Lei was being driven by a policeman to a lock-up at the Bedok Police Division Headquarters, the Chinese national kicked the officer twice.
The 35-year-old assailant was sentenced to 22 weeks’ jail on Thursday.
After an earlier trial, District Judge Ronald Gwee had convicted him of one count of assault and two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant.
Taxi driver Chor Kin Yong, 73, had picked Chen up in his vehicle shortly before the attack and was entering a Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) tunnel when the younger man started punching his head and neck.
Mr Chor blocked the blows with his right hand and used his left hand to control the steering wheel. The cabby also used his mobile phone to alert the police.
After finding a safe spot, he applied the emergency brake and got out of his taxi.

An eyewitness, Mr Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Latif, later saw Chen walking aggressively towards Mr Chor, who told him that he had been assaulted. Mr Faizal then stepped in and used his arm to hold off the attacker.
Police arrived at the scene soon after. Senior Staff Sergeant Wong Chuen Kit was driving Chen to the Bedok police headquarters when he was kicked twice by the offender.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Regina Lim and Maximilian Chew stated in their submissions that Senior Staff Sgt Wong later went to Changi General Hospital, where he was found with injuries to his left forearm and back.
Mr Chor complained of head and neck pain but did not seek medical attention.

During the trial, Chen claimed that Mr Chor had hit him.
But the DPPs noted that the elderly cabby had been strapped to his seat while driving through the KPE tunnel, while Chen was sitting in the rear without a seatbelt on.
The prosecutors stressed that it would be implausible for Mr Chor to hit Chen under these circumstances.
They also told the court that there is video footage showing Chen kicking Senior Staff Sgt Wong twice in the police car.
The offender’s bail was set at $10,000 on Thursday, and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Sept 13 to begin serving his sentence.

 

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Plumber who broke into woman’s home to peep at her sentenced to jail​

Cambodian national Vong Sarain, 35, pleaded guilty on Friday to an offence of housebreaking. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Christine Tan

JUL 14, 2023

SINGAPORE - A plumber who trespassed into a woman’s condominium unit to peep at her has been sentenced to three weeks’ jail.
Cambodian national Vong Sarain, 35, pleaded guilty on Friday to an offence of housebreaking.
Before handing down the sentence, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said Vong had caused significant alarm to the victim.
Said the judge: “Your actions are especially sinister since you had entered the home with the intention of committing an offence of voyeurism.”
Court documents state that the victim is a 44-year-old woman who lives in a condominium in the East Coast area.
On July 22, 2022, at around 6.45pm, Vong had just completed a plumbing job at an 11th floor unit of the condominium and was waiting for his wife to pick him up.
Feeling bored, he went to the 12th floor and walked past the woman’s unit.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sarah Thaker said Vong heard what he perceived to be “porn sounds” and peeked through the window.
He saw a woman inside. Curious about what she was doing, he rang the doorbell.
“When nobody answered, the accused climbed through the open kitchen window of the unit, intending to see if the occupant was pleasuring herself,” said DPP Thaker.

The woman saw Vong in the kitchen and shouted at him. He immediately climbed out the window and fled.
She then called the police saying someone had tried to break into her house.
Vong was subsequently traced in investigations.

DPP Thaker said the accused trespassed a private home and caused the woman alarm. She called for him to be jailed for one to two weeks.
Vong’s lawyer, Mr Loo Choon Hiaw, said the woman was not doing any act in particular at the time.
He said: “It was simply the accused’s imagination getting the better of him.”
Mr Loo said Vong has a wife and child here, and asked for him to be sentenced to probation as he wished to apply for Singapore citizenship.
District Judge Sharmila said the court does not consider if one’s citizenship application would be affected to determine whether probation is suitable.
She said Vong was well above the age of 21 at the time of offending.
Noting that he did not demonstrate “an extremely strong propensity for reform”, and that there were no exceptional circumstances in the case, she declined to call for a probation suitability report.

 

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Machine operator stole $286k worth of gold from employer over two years​

Christine Tan

August 1, 2023

SINGAPORE - Enticed by a colleague’s money-making plan, a machine operator who had stayed loyal to her company for 18 years decided to steal from it.
Malaysian Lee I Rene, 59, an employee at ST Microelectronics, stole over 3 kilograms worth of gold used to coat test wafers.
She was sentenced to two years’ jail on Monday.
Lee had pleaded guilty to two counts of theft. A third charge of theft was taken into consideration for sentencing.
Court documents said Lee’s job was to operate a machine that coated production wafers in gold. The company had five such machines that operated 24 hours round the clock, and operators managed them on a shift basis.
Once the machine coated 800 wafers in gold, an operator would have to perform a qualification check on the machine.
They would place five pieces of test wafers for the machine to coat in gold, check its quality, and pass it to another department to remove the gold from the test wafers.

Sometime in early 2019, Lee’s colleague Tang Ling told her she could be making more money by exploiting the qualification check process.
Tang, a Chinese national, told Lee that the latter could coat more than the required five test wafers in gold, and scrape off the gold from the additional test wafers.
Tang would then take the gold and sell it to an unknown buyer, and share some of the sale proceeds with Lee.

Lee tested Tang’s suggestion and found it was true – she could use her finger to peel off the gold from the test wafer.
Said Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Zhi Jie: “(Lee) knew no one would check the number of test wafers that she placed in the (machine) during the qualification check, and she would not be easily discovered for sending more test wafers to be coated with gold than required.”
The pair carried out their plan between January 3, 2019 and April 29, 2021.
In 2019, Lee removed 1,717.5 grams, or approximately 1.7 kilograms of gold from the additional test wafers. The next year, the amount of gold she stole went up to 2,085 grams, or approximately 2 kilograms.
In total, Lee stole about $286,110 worth of gold over the two years.
Lee, who had been earning a monthly gross salary of $1,653, said she would receive $5,000 to $6,000 from Tang every two months for her role in the plan.
In April 2021, another operator discovered a chunk of gold – made up of thin layers of gold peeled off test wafers – in a gowning room at the company and alerted the management.
Lee was called up for an interview as she was one of the machine operators. During the interview, she admitted to her acts. She had no means to repay the company.
Tang had resigned from ST Microelectronics before the crime was discovered and had returned to China. She has not been dealt with.
DPP Tay sought 26 to 30 months’ imprisonment for Lee, highlighting that the offences were premeditated and the value of the property stolen was high.
The prosecutor also noted that Lee had cooperated with investigations, both with the company and the police.

 

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Man jailed 7 months for duping company into paying inflated prices for almost 7 years​

Eldo Thottungal Mathai, 68, pleaded guilty to three counts of cheating on Aug 1. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Christine Tan

AUG 1, 2023

SINGAPORE – The director of a freight-forwarding services firm was jailed for seven months after he admitted to cheating another company into paying inflated prices for almost seven years.
Eldo Thottungal Mathai, 68, pleaded guilty to three counts of cheating on Tuesday. Three other similar counts were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Court documents said the Indian national, who is also a permanent resident here, was the director of Indus Global Line (IGL) at the time of the offences.
Sometime in June 2010, Eldo got to know Hussain Naina Mohamed, a 47-year-old Indian national who worked at Utracon Structural Systems.
As an assistant shipping manager, Hussain’s responsibilities included making vendor recommendations to his superiors, and helping the firm’s sister company, Utracon Overseas, with similar tasks. Collectively, the two firms are part of Utracon Corporation.
Unbeknownst to Utracon, Hussain was also a partner at another company, Al Rahman Enterprises & Trading (Aret).
Sometime in 2011, Eldo and Hussain hatched a plan for IGL to submit inflated quotations to Utracon for freight-forwarding services.

Eldo would first send an e-mail with a legitimate quotation to Hussain’s Aret e-mail account. The latter would then respond with instructions on the mark-up amount.
Subsequently, Eldo would send the marked-up quotation to Hussain at his Utracon work e-mail address. Hussain would then review it in his capacity as the company’s assistant shipping manager.
In the three charges proceeded against Eldo, Utracon was cheated into paying IGL inflated amounts of around $374,529. The total mark-ups for these quotations were $33,231.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jonathan Tan said that all the marked-up amounts went to Aret. After IGL received payment from Utracon, Eldo would pass Hussain the mark-ups in cash.
“While the accused did not receive the mark-ups, he profited from the business that IGL received by virtue of the deception that he and Hussain applied on Utracon,” said DPP Tan.
Had Utracon known the truth about the pair’s arrangement, and the conflict of interest on Hussain’s part as he was employed by both Utracon and Aret, it would not have made payments to IGL, said the prosecutor.

The dishonest scheme continued from October 2011 to August 2018, lasting for almost seven years.
In total, Utracon was duped into paying about $417,367 to IGL.
DPP Tan called for Eldo to be jailed for six to eight months, citing the need for deterrence and the significant difficulty in detecting the offences.
Including the offences involving Eldo, Hussain had duped Utracon into making payments totalling over $5.1 million to companies linked to him.
He was sentenced to 30 months’ jail in May after he pleaded guilty to nine counts of cheating involving more than $2.5 million and one count of moving a portion of his ill-gotten gains out of Singapore.

 

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Couple jailed for physically abusing their maid​

Samuel Devaraj

Aug 28, 2023

SINGAPORE – A woman who hit her maid on the face with a toy guitar until it broke was sentenced to 28 weeks’ jail on Monday for several offences committed against the domestic helper.
Chinese national Jin Yan, 36, had earlier been convicted of using criminal force during the attack that took place on Jan 3, 2018, as well as on four other charges of voluntarily causing hurt to Ms Lutin, 31, who goes by only one name.
She was also ordered to pay a compensation of $2,500 to the maid.
Her husband, Wang Cheng Xiang, 47, was also sentenced on Monday for offences against Ms Lutin.
He was given 13 weeks’ jail and ordered to pay $1,000 in compensation after he was convicted on two charges of voluntarily causing hurt to the maid.
The couple, who have have an eight-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, have appealed against their sentences and convictions.
It was previously reported that their offences came to light in January 2018 after Ms Lutin, who had several facial injuries, went to a playground and bumped into another maid.

The second maid snapped pictures of Ms Lutin’s injuries and posted them on Facebook. A third maid alerted the authorities after she saw the post.
Ms Lutin, who was employed by Wang, started working at the couple’s home at the Adria condominium in Novena on June 24, 2017.
The acts of abuse started soon after.

In her earlier submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said that in July that year, Jin slapped Ms Lutin for forgetting to wipe some utensils dry.
Jin then called the maid’s agent, Ms Hong Wan Yi.
The DPP told District Judge Prem Raj: “Lutin spoke to Wan Yi and told her she wished to... change her employer because Jin had started to use her hand on her.
“However, Wan Yi informed Lutin... that she would tell Jin that she may scold Lutin, but not physically assault her.”
After that, Ms Lutin passed the phone back to Jin, who spoke to Ms Hong.

Ms Lutin then continued working for the household.
Despite this, Jin physically abused the domestic worker again in October 2017, when Jin’s son got a blister on his finger after touching the rice cooker which Ms Lutin had turned on to cook rice.
According to court documents, Jin slapped the maid on the cheek a few times and grabbed Ms Lutin by her ponytail, causing her to fall. She then kicked Ms Lutin on the chest.
When Wang returned from work and was told about the boy’s injury, he slapped the maid.
Some time in November or December 2017, Jin slapped Ms Lutin on her cheek several times she caught her two children climbing on furniture in the living room while the maid was putting away clothes in the cupboard of the master bedroom.
Ms Lutin developed ulcers in her mouth after this.
In January 2018, when Ms Lutin left the couple’s daughter alone in the living room to accompany their son to the bathroom, Jin scolded the maid for leaving the girl unattended.
Jin then slapped Ms Lutin and dragged her by her ponytail from the common toilet to the living room and kicked her in the back, DPP Wong told the court.
According to the DPP, the assault with the toy guitar happened after Ms Lutin forgot to hang the boy’s school uniform to dry and left it in a basin, so it stayed wet.
Wang also slapped the maid when he returned home that evening.
It was the following day that Ms Lutin met the other maid in the playground, and the police were alerted soon after to her injuries.

 

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Driver gets 6 weeks’ jail for pushing security officer, who fractured his wrist​

The assailant, Chinese national Wang Lin, was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Monday after he pleaded guilty to an assault charge. PHOTOS: ST FILE, UNION OF SECURITY EMPLOYEES

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Aug 28, 2023

SINGAPORE - A man who was driving a BMW X5 outside United Square shopping mall got out of the sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pushed a senior security officer who had raised his voice at him.
The victim, Mr Prakash Govindan Damodaran, 56, fell to the ground and fractured his left wrist.
His assailant, Chinese national Wang Lin, 42, a director at more than 100 firms including Accendo Capital Holdings and YP Investments, was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Monday after he pleaded guilty to an assault charge.
Defence lawyer S.S. Dhillon told the court his client had gone to the shopping mall at around 11.45am on Nov 6, 2021, to pick up his wife and daughter after the child’s enrichment class.
The lawyer from Dhillon & Panoo law firm added that as it was raining at the time, Wang, a Singapore permanent resident, drove to the lane closest to the building so his family would not be drenched.
Mr Prakash, who was standing on a chevron marking on the road, immediately gestured at Wang to stop.
He told Wang in a raised voice that he was not permitted to enter the lane, which is reserved for taxis.

He suggested that Wang use the mall’s carpark, which has a 30-minute free parking grace period, to pick up his passengers.
On Monday, Mr Dhillon told the court: “We are instructed by Wang Lin that he was taken aback when the victim shouted and gestured at him. At one point, the victim even hit the front of Wang Lin’s vehicle.
“The force was such that Wang Lin could feel the vibration of the impact from the inside of his car.”

Unhappy, Wang swerved past Mr Prakash into an adjacent lane and got out of his SUV to confront the security officer.
He shoved the victim on the chest with both hands, causing the older man to fall on his back. While Mr Prakash was on the ground, Wang looked down and chided him.
Wang’s wife, who was nearby, pulled him away. The family then left in the SUV.
The prosecution said the vehicle was not damaged.
When Mr Prakash went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, he was found to have fractured his left wrist.

On Feb 16, 2022, the Union of Security Employees posted details of the incident on its Facebook page to highlight the physical and verbal abuse security guards endure at work.
Wang was arrested two days later and charged in court in April 2022.
On Monday, Mr Dhillon said his client had suffered tremendous trauma and agony following the incident, adding: “The negative publicity perpetrated in the social media has completely paralysed Wang Lin as he has been demonised as a rich and powerful brat.
“He has unduly suffered in the court of public opinion and his character has been defiled.”
The lawyer told the court that Wang had been diagnosed with depression with suicidal ideation, and also had psychotic symptoms that meet the criteria for schizophrenia.

 

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Jail for Aussie man over repeated drunken tirades and verbal abuse of cops​

Conrad Drummond Clarkson was sentenced to three weeks’ jail and a fine of $2,500 after he pleaded guilty to five charges. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Sep 14, 2023

SINGAPORE – An Australian man who went into a profanity-laden drunken tirade against three police officers and said he would kill one of them did not learn his lesson after his arrest in November 2019.
While out on bail, Conrad Drummond Clarkson went drinking in September 2021 and was arrested again after he was involved in a drunken ruckus and refused to pay a bill.
In June 2022, he became unruly after an alcohol-fuelled night out and abused two police officers with vulgar language.
Clarkson, 32, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail and a fine of $2,500 on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to five charges, including two counts of harassment. Seven other charges were considered during sentencing.
He was also given a discharge amounting to an acquittal over a criminal intimidation charge involving a death threat to a policeman. This means he cannot be charged again with the same offence.
During investigations, Clarkson admitted that he had consumed liquor at the Singapore Cricket Club on Nov 26, 2019, before making his way to Boat Quay.
At around 3am the next day, an intoxicated Clarkson pushed some tables outside a bar in Circular Road and shoved one of the bar’s workers who approached him.

The worker alerted the police, and three officers arrived at the scene soon after. One of the officers asked Clarkson to produce his identification documents, but the latter gave an incoherent answer.
Clarkson was then arrested, and he hurled vulgarities at one of the officers when they reached the Police Cantonment Complex.
Among other things, he told the officer: “When I get out of here... I will kill you... You are dead!”

He went on to abuse two other officers with vulgar language later that morning.
A doctor examined him at the Central Police Division at around 11.30am on Nov 27, 2019.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Santhra Aiyyasamy said that Clarkson was diagnosed as having a contusion or a sprain of his left shoulder, “or a shoulder dislocation that had been relocated”.
Court documents did not disclose when or how his shoulder could have been dislocated.
He was charged in court on April 7, 2020, before he was released on bail.
On Sept 19, 2021, he became drunk after drinking several pints of beer at bars around Boat Quay and fell asleep in one of the bars in Circular Road.
He was woken up by a bar assistant who wanted him to settle his bill of $8.25 for a pint of beer.
The Australian became aggressive and left without paying. The bar assistant’s colleague later found Clarkson sleeping outside a nearby Korean restaurant.
The prosecutor said: “(She) told the accused that if he did not pay the bill, she would call the police. The accused informed her that he had been arrested before and challenged her to call the police.”
She made a police report, and he was arrested. He settled the bill three days later.
At around 1am on June 26, 2022, he went to an Orchard Towers nightspot with three people, including a Filipino woman, and started behaving in an unruly manner after several drinks.
The group was told to leave the bar after Clarkson hit two of his drinking buddies and shoved the woman.
They were at the entrance of the Orchard Road shopping mall when the woman saw police officers and approached them for help.
When questioned, Clarkson refused to respond and kept challenging the officers to arrest him.

He later hurled vulgarities at two of the officers inside a patrol car.
The prosecutor had earlier urged the court to sentence Clarkson to between six and eight weeks’ jail, adding: “The accused... had repeatedly committed similar offences on three separate occasions, over a long period of three years.”
She also said he was unprovoked when he verbally abused the officers on two different occasions.

 

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Jail for man who assaulted woman he paid for sex, claiming she was not worth the money​

Samuel Devaraj

AUG 24, 2023

SINGAPORE - After paying a woman twice to engage in sexual activities with him, a man claimed she was not worth the money.
He then hit her with a metal water bottle to get his $260 back.
Goh Jun Liang, 28, was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntary causing hurt.
The identity of the victim, a Chinese national, is protected by a gag order.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Shaun Lim said Goh, a Malaysian who was working as a packer in a pharmaceutical company, was browsing a website that advertised sexual services at about 7pm on April 16, 2023.
He found the profile of the victim, who advertised her services at $130 per activity, and arranged to meet her at her home that night.
When he got there at 8pm, Goh handed her $130 and they had sex. Afterwards, as they got dressed, he asked for a second round and gave her another $130.

However, as he had just had sex, Goh was unable to sustain an erection. The victim then performed a sex act on him. During the act, Goh was unhappy as he felt she had used too much force and caused him pain.
“He was also unhappy that the victim had called him troublesome, as he took a long time to ejaculate,” said DPP Lim.
After he eventually managed to do so, they went to wash up.
As they were getting dressed, Goh felt the woman was not worth what he had paid and decided to get his money back by force.
When she turned her back on him, he picked up a metal water bottle on a table and hit her on her back and around her neck while demanding his money back.

To get Goh to stop, she agreed to return the $260. He only stopped hitting her after she did so.
After he left, the victim called a friend before making a police report.
She suffered swelling on her right shoulder and her head was still hurting hours after the attack.
DPP Lim urged the court to impose a sentence of six to 12 weeks’ jail, citing the use of a weapon as among the aggravating factors.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Goh could have been jailed for up to three years, fined or both.

 

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Jail for scammer who cheated multiple victims, including neighbour and friend, of nearly $714k​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

AUG 25, 2023

SINGAPORE - A scammer cheated multiple victims of nearly $714,000 in total by using several methods, including convincing two people – a neighbour and a friend – to buy “shares” from him.
Dutch national Rafiq Shamoon Omer, 50, pleaded guilty on Thursday to four counts of cheating involving more than $532,000 and was sentenced to three years and nine months’ jail.
Three other charges linked to the remaining amount were considered during sentencing.
Rafiq, who used to be a director and shareholder at software development firm Yumzy, befriended one of the complainants, Mr Matthijs Gerben Van Der Gaag, as their children went to the same pre-school.
In March 2014, Rafiq claimed to be part of an “angel investor network” through which he could purportedly buy shares of companies before they were released via initial public offerings (IPOs).
Rafiq offered to purchase shares of such companies on behalf of Mr Van Der Gaag, who agreed to buy 13,500 shares of home rental firm Airbnb from him for US$155,520 (around S$194,600 at the time).
The men then entered into a written agreement stating that Rafiq was to transfer the shares to Mr Van Der Gaag within 180 days of Airbnb’s IPO.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li told the court that according to the arrangement, the monies would be refunded to Mr Van Der Gaag if Airbnb did not launch an IPO.
Mr Van Der Gaag transferred the cash to Rafiq’s bank account on April 15, 2014, without knowing that the scammer was, in fact, not in a position to acquire the shares for him before Airbnb launched an IPO.
Using a similar method, Rafiq cheated Mr Van Der Gaag again later that year by convincing him to purportedly buy 15,000 shares of software company Cloudera from him for US$243,300.

The prosecutor said that Rafiq later used the monies for his personal expenses.
Realising he had been cheated, Mr Van Der Gaag lodged a police report in May 2015. Rafiq has since returned nearly $137,000 to him.

Rafiq struck again in May 2018 when he lied to a neighbour, claiming that he had some shares in US-based company Carbon Black that he was looking to sell.
The neighbour then agreed to buy the shares for US$25,500 and transferred the monies to Rafiq’s bank account.
The scammer used the money for his personal expenses, and the neighbour alerted the police in December 2018.
In early 2020, Rafiq checked into the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach in Beach Road and told staff there that he had lost his credit cards.
One of his former colleagues agreed to help him by allowing the hotel to charge the pre-authorisation amount to her credit card.
The hotel would then release the amount, which was not disclosed in court documents, once Rafiq obtained new credit cards. The charge would then be transferred to these cards.
On March 2, 2020, he used an express checkout to leave the hotel and did not make any payments.
The hotel then charged the amount he incurred, totalling nearly $18,410, to the former colleague’s credit card.
The woman approached the hotel on March 3, 2020, to dispute the charges. The hotel then agreed to process a refund and seek to obtain payment from Rafiq.
On March 5, 2020, he sent a screenshot to a front office manager, purportedly showing a transfer of the monies from his bank account to one belonging to the hotel.
However, the hotel did not receive the payment as stated in the screenshot. In fact, there were insufficient funds in Rafiq’s bank account to satisfy this funds transfer, said DPP Li.

Rafiq eventually made full payment to the hotel some time before November 2020.
On Thursday, defence lawyer Tan Jun Yin said her client has conditions including narcissistic personality disorder that affected his culpability for the offences.
She added that Rafiq, who has shown genuine remorse, knew he had these conditions only while he was in remand.

 

[winnipegjets]

Man drove rashly to frighten wife during argument, nearly hit police officer on road​

Chang Qing was sentenced to four weeks' jail and disqualified from driving for two years. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Christine Tan

July 11, 2023

SINGAPORE - During a heated argument with his wife, a man wanted to frighten her by driving rashly, eventually crashing his car into a kerb and nearly hitting a policewoman.
Chinese national Chang Qing, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday to four weeks’ jail, and was also disqualified from driving for two years. He intends to appeal.
He had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of driving in a rash manner likely to cause hurt.
Court documents stated that on Jan 9, 2022, Chang and his wife, Lin Jin, were at a coffee shop at Block 422 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.
After having a few drinks, they had a dispute, and were separated by other coffee shop patrons.
A man saw the incident and called the police. Sergeant Zulaikha Mohd Nasir and her colleague from Ang Mo Kio South Neighbourhood Police Centre were sent to the scene.
Before the officers arrived, Chang and his wife decided to go home, but they continued quarrelling in the car.

When Chang exited the car park next to Block 422, he stopped the car for a few seconds, then accelerated and drove across both lanes of Ang Mo Kio Street 42. The car then collided into the kerb on the opposite side of the road.
Chang later admitted to the police that he had been frustrated with his wife and wanted to cause a “jolt” to her.
He had driven like that deliberately to frighten his wife, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran.

At the time, Sgt Zulaikha and her colleague were travelling in a police car towards Block 422. They saw the collision and sounded the police car’s horn.
Sgt Zulaikha then alighted and approached Chang’s car. Upon seeing that he was reversing towards the car park, she shouted “stop, stop” and ran in front of his car to stop him from moving further.
She then ran to the driver’s side and knocked on his window to get his attention. But Chang drove the car forward and made a right turn, causing her to jump out of the car’s path to avoid being hit.

The accused admitted during police investigations that he had seen someone in the corner of his eye, but had continued to drive away regardless.
Said DPP Thiagesh: “The accused had known that there was a real risk he would cause hurt to the victim and yet unreasonably took that risk.”
Chang then drove off. Police later caught up with him in Woodlands, where he was arrested after failing a breathalyser test.
The prosecutor said if Sgt Zulaikha had not jumped out of the car’s path, she could have been seriously injured. He asked for the accused to be jailed for eight to 12 weeks and disqualified from driving for two years.
In mitigation, lawyer Mr Thomas Tham said his client was stressed by his wife’s incessant scolding, and his sense of judgment was distorted.
“He did not commit the act with deliberate disregard of the enforcement of the law by the police officer,” said Mr Tham, noting that his client was a first-time offender.
Chang is currently out on $2,000 bail while waiting to appeal.

Why no deportation after completing jail term?

 

[winnipegjets]

Jail for scammer who cheated multiple victims, including neighbour and friend, of nearly $714k​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

AUG 25, 2023

SINGAPORE - A scammer cheated multiple victims of nearly $714,000 in total by using several methods, including convincing two people – a neighbour and a friend – to buy “shares” from him.
Dutch national Rafiq Shamoon Omer, 50, pleaded guilty on Thursday to four counts of cheating involving more than $532,000 and was sentenced to three years and nine months’ jail.
Three other charges linked to the remaining amount were considered during sentencing.
Rafiq, who used to be a director and shareholder at software development firm Yumzy, befriended one of the complainants, Mr Matthijs Gerben Van Der Gaag, as their children went to the same pre-school.
In March 2014, Rafiq claimed to be part of an “angel investor network” through which he could purportedly buy shares of companies before they were released via initial public offerings (IPOs).
Rafiq offered to purchase shares of such companies on behalf of Mr Van Der Gaag, who agreed to buy 13,500 shares of home rental firm Airbnb from him for US$155,520 (around S$194,600 at the time).
The men then entered into a written agreement stating that Rafiq was to transfer the shares to Mr Van Der Gaag within 180 days of Airbnb’s IPO.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li told the court that according to the arrangement, the monies would be refunded to Mr Van Der Gaag if Airbnb did not launch an IPO.
Mr Van Der Gaag transferred the cash to Rafiq’s bank account on April 15, 2014, without knowing that the scammer was, in fact, not in a position to acquire the shares for him before Airbnb launched an IPO.
Using a similar method, Rafiq cheated Mr Van Der Gaag again later that year by convincing him to purportedly buy 15,000 shares of software company Cloudera from him for US$243,300.

The prosecutor said that Rafiq later used the monies for his personal expenses.
Realising he had been cheated, Mr Van Der Gaag lodged a police report in May 2015. Rafiq has since returned nearly $137,000 to him.

Rafiq struck again in May 2018 when he lied to a neighbour, claiming that he had some shares in US-based company Carbon Black that he was looking to sell.
The neighbour then agreed to buy the shares for US$25,500 and transferred the monies to Rafiq’s bank account.
The scammer used the money for his personal expenses, and the neighbour alerted the police in December 2018.
In early 2020, Rafiq checked into the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach in Beach Road and told staff there that he had lost his credit cards.
One of his former colleagues agreed to help him by allowing the hotel to charge the pre-authorisation amount to her credit card.
The hotel would then release the amount, which was not disclosed in court documents, once Rafiq obtained new credit cards. The charge would then be transferred to these cards.
On March 2, 2020, he used an express checkout to leave the hotel and did not make any payments.
The hotel then charged the amount he incurred, totalling nearly $18,410, to the former colleague’s credit card.
The woman approached the hotel on March 3, 2020, to dispute the charges. The hotel then agreed to process a refund and seek to obtain payment from Rafiq.
On March 5, 2020, he sent a screenshot to a front office manager, purportedly showing a transfer of the monies from his bank account to one belonging to the hotel.
However, the hotel did not receive the payment as stated in the screenshot. In fact, there were insufficient funds in Rafiq’s bank account to satisfy this funds transfer, said DPP Li.

Rafiq eventually made full payment to the hotel some time before November 2020.
On Thursday, defence lawyer Tan Jun Yin said her client has conditions including narcissistic personality disorder that affected his culpability for the offences.
She added that Rafiq, who has shown genuine remorse, knew he had these conditions only while he was in remand.

Then he should be deported to Netherlands for the Dutch government to take care of him.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for woman who lied about being raped by ex-boyfriend after an argument​

Christine Tan

Oct 2, 2023

SINGAPORE – After an argument with her ex-boyfriend, a woman called the police and claimed he had raped her thrice during their relationship.
She recanted her statement more than a month later and admitted she had lied in order to get him into trouble.
On Monday, Chinese national Zhang Lutian, 22, was sentenced to five weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to one count of giving false information to a public servant.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin Liew said the couple met in April 2021 via messaging platform WeChat. They started a relationship in August that year and started living together at the man’s residence.
On March 9, 2022, the two of them had an argument which stretched till midnight the next day. At 12.38am on March 10, Zhang called the police, saying her ex-boyfriend had hurt her, and she was bleeding.
Zhang told two police officers who came to the residence that she had been sexually assaulted by her ex-boyfriend. Given the serious allegation, the police dispatched 17 more officers to the scene, including five investigation officers and four forensic officers.
At 6.30am the same day, Zhang recorded a statement at Police Cantonment Complex claiming her ex-boyfriend had physically abused her and raped her thrice during their relationship.

She also repeated the false allegations to the medical officer during her medical examination.
Her ex-boyfriend had to undergo a police interview, had his mobile phones seized and passport impounded by the police, and was required to apply for a special pass to continue staying in Singapore. His nationality and age were not stated in court documents.
Over a month later, on April 20, 2022, Zhang admitted to the police she had lied and recanted her false statement.

DPP Liew said significant public resources were wasted to investigate the false allegations. Besides the officers at the scene, other forensic officers, cleaning crew and medical staff were activated for follow-up investigations.
Noting the gravity of the offence, DPP Liew asked for Zhang to be jailed for between six and 10 weeks.
Quoting the High Court’s comments in another similar case, DPP Liew said: “Any false allegation of rape must not be taken lightly. Not only is it a serious allegation, it is often difficult to verify because, in most of such cases, it is the word of one person against the other.
“Given the social stigma usually attached to such offences, it could irretrievably damage the reputation of the alleged rapist even if the allegations were subsequently proven to be false.”

Zhang had a mitigation plea prepared, but had to let an interpreter read it on her behalf after she broke down crying in the dock.
In her plea, she asked for a fine instead of a jail term, saying she had just turned 21 a month before the offences and her “cognitive ability for legal terms and awareness of the seriousness of the crime (was) still very immature”.
Zhang said she suffers from severe depression and anxiety, and claimed her ex-boyfriend had treated her rudely during disputes.
Describing the moment when she made the false allegations, Zhang said: “My mind was not conscious at the point in time. I was too desperate at the time and I wanted protection from the police.”
She said her ex-boyfriend has since forgiven her.
Apologising for taking up the police force’s time and resources, Zhang said: “I did not expect things to go this way, and this is my first time being involved (with) the law. I have realised my mistake, and I am remorseful for my actions.”
Zhang will start serving her sentence next week.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Man fined for forgery involving Woodlands Wellington Football Club’s auditors report​

Lau Chee Yoong committed the offence as he felt pressured by Woodlands Wellington FC's then finance executive. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

SEP 15, 2023

SINGAPORE - An employee of an accounting and auditing services firm forged his then boss’ signature on an independent auditors report for Woodlands Wellington Football Club (WWFC).
Lau Chee Yoong, 34, who was an audit assistant at Chan Leng Leng & Co at the time, committed the offence as he felt pressured by WWFC’s then finance executive.
The Malaysian was fined $20,000 on Friday after he pleaded guilty to a forgery charge.
He no longer works at Chan Leng Leng & Co and is now employed at another firm.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran said WWFC and Hougang United Football Club (HUFC) were clients of Chan Leng Leng & Co at the time.
Some time before March 2016, Lau’s then boss, Ms Chan Leng Leng, assigned him to conduct an audit on WWFC with respect to the 2015 financial year.
Lau then audited the football club’s accounts on it premises between March 1 and 9 that year.

Around May 2016, the club’s finance executive started pressuring Lau to complete the audit.
This was because WWFC was required to submit its financial statements to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) by the end of that month.
As part of his job, Lau was supposed to hand over documents such as financial statements relating to the audit to Ms Chan for her inspection and signature before submitting them to WWFC.

Ms Chan had to review Lau’s work and sign an opinion in her capacity as a chartered accountant and the independent auditor of WWFC.
The court heard that her opinion had to state that the accounting and other records maintained by WWFC were properly kept in accordance with the applicable regulations.
The DPP said: “However, (Lau) was unable to submit the financial statements and working papers to (Ms Chan) for her review, because he had been assigned other audits by (her) and was rushing to complete them.”
Feeling pressured by the football club’s finance executive, Lau decided to forge Ms Chan’s signature on the financial statements.
He then stamped a date on the report and sent it with some financial statement to WWFC which did not detect the forgery.

The club then submitted the documents to agencies including Iras and the Football Association of Singapore.
On April 19, 2017, Sport Singapore lodged a police report over allegations that there had been irregularities regarding the financial affairs of Tiong Bahru Football Club.
The Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) began looking into the matter.
As part of its investigations, CAD also investigated HUFC and WWFC. Lau’s offence came to light soon after when Ms Chan told investigators that she did not sign the affected documents.
On Friday, defence lawyer Gideon Yap asked for Lau to be given a fine of $10,000.
The lawyer from Martin & Partners said: “It must be noted that there was no financial harm caused by the forgeries, and it does not appear that any reputational harm has been suffered either.”
Mr Yap also said that his client is committed to not making such a mistake again.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Fine for Briton who refused to wear mask at MBS, called mask-wearing in S’pore ‘oppressive’​

British national Clive Ainsley Griffin refused to put on his mask when told to do so by social distancing ambassadors in 2021. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
Christine Tan

SEP 27, 2023

SINGAPORE – A British man refused to put on his mask when told to do so by a social distancing ambassador (SDA) in 2021 during the pandemic, and questioned the need to wear a mask in Singapore, calling it “oppressive”.
On Wednesday, Clive Ainsley Griffin, 56, was fined $1,200 by a district court after he pleaded guilty to an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
Another charge of being a public nuisance was taken into consideration during sentencing.
The incident of the man and his wife confronting SDAs in Marina Bay Sands in September 2021 was captured in a series of videos circulating on social media.
At one point in the videos, Griffin’s wife was seen pulling down an SDA’s mask. His wife, Clariel Griffin, 48, who used to be known as Wong Pei Ling, faces one charge each of being a public nuisance and using criminal force on a public servant, and has also been charged with an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
Her case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Nov 3.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Nicholas Wuan said the couple and three of their friends were having dinner and alcoholic drinks at the Dallas bar in Marina Bay Sands on the evening of Sept 11, 2021.

At around 10.15pm, a group of SDAs was patrolling the food and beverage outlets in Marina Bay Sands to ensure that sales and consumption of alcohol ceased by 10.30pm, in accordance with the regulations then. The bar owner repeatedly reminded the group of customers to finish their drinks by 10.30pm, according to court documents. At 10.28pm, the owner told the SDAs that the bar staff were still trying to clear the drinks from Griffin’s table. After the staff cleared the drinks, Griffin and his wife exited the bar and spoke to the SDAs.
While continuing with their rounds, the SDAs saw Griffin and his wife again at the promenade area of Marina Bay Sands at 10.39pm. The pair were not wearing masks. The SDAs advised them to put on their masks, but they refused to do so. One SDA took out her mobile phone to record the incident.

DPP Wuan said: “During this time, the accused, who still was not wearing a mask, questioned the need to wear a mask in Singapore, considering it to be oppressive.”
Griffin committed the offence of being a public nuisance by shouting and gesturing, according to court documents. One of the SDAs tried to calm him down and explained the need to wear a mask. At 10.44pm, Griffin and his wife walked away. The SDAs returned to their rest area and informed their supervisor about the incident. One of the SDAs reported the matter to the police the next day.
Griffin was represented by Mr Josephus Tan, Mr Cory Wong and Mr Silas Siew of Invictus Law.
The lawyers said in their mitigation plea that Griffin’s actions caused “minimal to no harm” as he was already vaccinated at the time of the incident, and there was no evidence that he had tested positive for Covid-19.
Asking for a fine of not more than $1,000, his lawyers said Griffin had learnt from this experience and would not flout any laws in the future.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

3 foreigners fined for working illegally as food delivery riders​

Malaysian Ng Teik Chuan was fined $10,000 for working as a food delivery rider using MilkRun and LiveExpress platforms from May 2022 to March 2023. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Wong Shiying

Oct 10, 2023

SINGAPORE – Three foreigners were on Tuesday fined between $3,800 and $10,000 for working illegally as food delivery riders in Singapore without valid work passes.
A Singaporean and a permanent resident (PR), who provided the foreigners with account access on the food delivery platforms, were also fined for abetting these offences.
Only Singaporeans and PRs can legally work as riders for food delivery platforms in Singapore.
Ng Teik Chuan, who is Malaysian, was fined $10,000 for working as a food delivery rider using MilkRun and LiveExpress platforms from May 2022 to March 2023.
He earned a total of about $13,700 before he was caught in March by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) enforcement officers while he was out making deliveries.
Indian national Amanullah Faizal Navas, 37, in March borrowed Singaporean Muhammad Mubeen Muthibbi Sahul Hameed’s Foodpanda account. The duo, who were each fined $3,800 on Tuesday, are friends.

Mubeen, 47, shared his e-mail address and password with Amanullah and helped the latter unlock his Foodpanda account using facial recognition.

Amanullah, who had been working in Singapore for 12 years, was in between jobs at the time. After using Mubeen’s account for four days, he was confronted by members of the public for illegally doing food delivery as a foreigner.
Amanullah stopped working as a rider immediately after the incident. He did not retrieve his earnings of $540 from Mubeen’s account.

Indian national Amanullah Faizal Navas (right) borrowed the Foodpanda account of Singaporean Muhammad Mubeen Muthibbi Sahul Hameed (left). The duo were each fined $3,800. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Malaysian Chaw Soon Yaw, 28, who was working as a cook here, borrowed his brother’s Deliveroo account from December 2022 to March 2023. His brother, Soon Song, is a 23-year-old PR. They were each fined $5,000 on Tuesday.
On March 10, Soon Yaw discovered that his brother’s Deliveroo account had been suspended. This came after he had been confronted by a member of public who warned him that it was illegal for a foreigner to work as a food delivery rider in Singapore.
Soon Yaw had made about $2,090 as a rider by then.

Malaysian Chaw Soon Yaw (right) borrowed the Deliveroo account of his brother Chaw Soon Song (left), who is a Singapore permanent resident. They were each fined $5,000. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

MOM said in a statement in September that it has been engaging the major food delivery platforms to enhance their processes and prevent the misuse of accounts by unauthorised parties.
The ministry added that it also worked with the platforms on educational messages to advise riders against allowing foreigners to use or share their food delivery accounts.
Foreigners who are self-employed without a valid work pass can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $20,000, or both. On conviction, they will be permanently barred from working in Singapore.
Local delivery platform workers who are found to have allowed foreigners to use their accounts may face similar penalties.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

NTU don accused of plagiarising former student’s work ‘no longer employed by the university’​

Associate Professor Qu Jingyi was the head of Chinese at the School of Humanities at NTU. PHOTOS: NTU, ST FILE

Chin Hui Shan

Oct 13, 2023

SINGAPORE – The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) academic at the centre of a plagiarism scandal in July is no longer employed by the university.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, an NTU spokesman said: “Associate Professor Qu Jingyi is no longer employed by the university with effect from Oct 11, 2023. As disciplinary proceedings are confidential, we are unable to comment further.
“The university is committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct, and takes all academic misconduct and breach of the university’s code of conduct very seriously.”
The NTU spokesman did not elaborate on whether Prof Qu was dismissed or had resigned.
In July, ST reported that Prof Qu was accused of plagiarising a former student’s final-year project in his 2018 research paper titled Escape As A Mode Of Existence: On Ruan Ji’s Escapism Complex.
He was the head of Chinese at the School of Humanities at NTU and the deputy director of its Centre for Chinese Language and Culture. A check on Thursday showed his profile had been removed from the department’s webpage.
The accusations against Prof Qu were first made on online forum Reddit by someone claiming to be an NTU student. The person had noticed stark similarities between Prof Qu’s 2018 research paper and Mr Wang Yueming’s 2014 project, titled Escapism In The Literary Works Of Ruan Ji.


Prof Qu was Mr Wang’s final-year project supervisor in 2014.
Prof Qu’s paper is written in English, while Mr Wang’s is in Chinese. Prof Qu’s paper, which was accessible on Academia.edu, an open repository of academic articles, has since been taken down.
Checks by The Straits Times in July found that over 50 per cent of Prof Qu’s paper looked like a direct translation of Mr Wang’s paper, with no attribution to the latter. These sections included analyses of poems and inferences made on related research papers.
Prof Qu joined NTU in 2010 and holds a PhD from Peking University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to his profile on the university’s website. He has received scholarships such as the Fulbright Scholarship, Peking University PhD full scholarship and NTU’s Nanyang Education Award. He has produced over 100 published works in English and Chinese, including 49 journal articles.
Associate Professor Yow Cheun Hoe, director of NTU’s Chinese Heritage Centre and the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture, remains the department’s acting head, according to the NTU Chinese department’s webpage. He was appointed in July after ST reported the accusations against Prof Qu.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Chinese national who tried but failed to give cop $76 bribe gets 5 weeks’ jail​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Oct 18, 2023

SINGAPORE - A Chinese national was sentenced to five weeks’ jail on Wednesday for repeatedly trying to give a $76 bribe to a police officer who rejected the offers.
Xu Shoupei, 31, who is jobless, had pleaded guilty on Oct 11 to two charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Around 9pm on July 4, 2021, two police officers – Special Constable (SC) Ong Shu Hong and his colleague – went to Kembangan MRT station to check on a complaint about a suspicious person in a white T-shirt who was loitering in the area.
At a nearby park connector, they spotted Xu, who fit the description, and introduced themselves to him as police officers.
When Xu attempted to walk away, the two officers stopped him and SC Ong asked to see his identity card.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ong Xin Jie said: “The accused knew he did not have his identity card with him and began to panic, as he feared that his inability to produce (it) would cause the police officers to lodge a report against him, which could affect his prospects for job employment in Singapore.”
Xu pleaded with SC Ong, asking him to stop the identity check. He then took out $76 from his pocket and offered it to the policeman.

For several minutes, Xu repeatedly offered the amount to SC Ong, who told him to stop doing so.
The two police officers finally arrested Xu after he failed multiple times to heed the warning.
The Chinese national was in handcuffs when he continued to offer the $76 to SC Ong.
Xu was charged in court in September 2021.
For each graft charge, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

4 months’ jail for woman who tried to dupe Iras to get grants under Job Support Scheme​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Oct 23, 2023

SINGAPORE - The human resources manager of a debt collection firm tried but failed to dupe the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) into disbursing over $8,500 in grants under a government-related initiative.
Wong Lai Kook’s case involved the Job Support Scheme (JSS) which aimed to provide wage support to employers to help them retain local workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
She was working at her then-husband’s business - Double Ace Associates - at the time.
Iras did not disburse the money.
The 48-year-old Malaysian was sentenced to four months’ jail on Monday after she pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to cheat Iras of more than $2,700 in total.
Six other similar charges relating to the remaining amount were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ryan Lim said that Double Ace made Central Provident Fund contributions to multiple people between February and April 2020 - described in court documents as the “relevant period”.

However, two of them were not working for the firm as they had been ordered to spend time behind bars between June 2019 and July 2020.
Court documents did not disclose details about the pair’s offences.
Despite this, Wong attempted to deceive Iras into believing that the incarcerated men had performed work for Double Ace during the relevant period.

On or around July 29, 2020, she prepared and submitted to Iras a declaration, falsely stating that the men had done actual work.
In relation to both men, she tried to con Iras into handing out $1,725 in total.
Wong also tried to cheat Iras by using six phantom workers.

DPP Lim told the court that she prepared and submitted a list of local employees that included the phantom workers. She also created false employment letters and payslips.
Among other things, Wong tried to dupe Iras into disbursing $978 for one such non-existent worker.
On Monday, the DPP asked the court to sentence her to between four and six months’ jail, adding: “Government incentive schemes that use public funds are often targets for fraud.
“In recent years, there has been an increase in the abuse of these schemes, which has led to stricter enforcement and longer approval processes. These offences are serious and must be dealt with harshly because they harm the public good and undermine good governance.”
Defence lawyer Cory Wong from Invictus Law Corporation, however, pleaded for his client to be given not more than 11 to 12 weeks’ jail.
He said: “As an indication of her genuine remorse, Ms Wong had been cooperative with the authorities and has hereby pleaded guilty.”
Pleading for the court’s compassion, the lawyer also said his client is not in the best of health and had been hospitalised earlier in 2023 over health problems including a stroke that lasted a few minutes.
Wong’s bail was set at $15,000 on Monday. She is expected to surrender herself at the State Courts on Nov 24 to begin serving her sentence.