Foreign talent's contributions to Singapore

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#16

Highest-ranked Singaporean polo player gets jail for lying in citizenship application

Abdul Sattar Khan, who has been shortlisted to represent Singapore in the SEA Games this November in the Philippines, was sentenced on July 18 to two weeks' jail.
ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
UPDATED JUL 19, 2019

SINGAPORE - A Pakistan-born polo player, said by his lawyer to be Singapore’s highest-ranked, was sentenced to jail Thursday (July 18) for giving false information 13 years ago in his application for permanent residency.

The application was granted and two years later, Abdul Sattar Khan, who is currently a polo manager at the Singapore Polo Club, again submitted forged documents when applying to become a Singaporean.

His Singapore citizenship was issued on July 31, 2009.

He was sentenced on Thursday (July 18) to two weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to one count each of an offence under the Immigration Act and another under the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, which pertains to citizenship.

Court documents did not state if his citizenship would be affected following his conviction.

On Thursday, his lawyer told the court he has been shortlisted to represent the country in the sport at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) this November in the Philippines.

According to defence lawyer Thomas Sim, Khan was also the deputy national polo team coach for the 2007 and 2017 SEA Games and has been recognised as the highest ranked polo player in all of Southeast Asia.

Mr Sim told District Judge Mathew Joseph that his client started playing polo at 11 and turned professional six years later.

Khan visited Singapore around 1994, and was invited by the Singapore Polo Club to be a guest umpire and player in a tournament being held at the time.

Impressed by his performance, the club offered him a job as a polo instructor and horse trainer, the court heard.



Khan took up the offer and held an employment pass when he started his job the following year. He became a polo manager at the club six years later.
On Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Yun Ling said Khan first applied to become a Singapore PR in 2000.

But he lied in his application form to the ICA, falsely claiming that he had attended Garden East School in Pakistan for his secondary education.

The application was rejected and he tried again on April 6, 2006. This time, he lied that he had attended Ibrahim Ali Bhai Secondary School.

He also enclosed a forged certificate and results, purportedly from the school, to bolster his chances of success.

DPP Chong said that in reality, Khan had attended a village school called the Government Elementally (sic) School Boti Mianwali.

After becoming a Singapore PR, Khan decided to become a citizen and submitted similar false information to the ICA in Kallang Road on Sept 9, 2008. He became a Singapore citizen the following year.

Mr Sim said that the school Khan had attended was a rural one that did not award a formal certificate for the completion of his studies. The lawyer added that Khan had called his father in Pakistan and asked for the older man's help to retrieve information about it.

His father later engaged an agent to obtain a certificate purportedly from the Ibrahim Ali Bhai Secondary School.

The lawyer also said that Khan's son is a Singaporean who has completed his national service. Khan's wife and two daughters are Singapore PRs.

Before handing down the sentence, Judge Joseph noted that Khan had contributed to society. However, he added: "You cannot run away from what you did... The integrity of the immigration system must be maintained."

In a statement on Thursday, the Singapore National Olympic Council said that it had not received nominations from the Equestrian Federation of Singapore for the SEA Games.

Khan is now out on bail of $10,000 and was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on July 23 to begin serving his sentence.

For the offence under the Immigration Act, he could have been jailed for up to a year and fined up to $4,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#17

Two men given $3 million by late doctor with dementia ordered to return money

Kulandaivelu Malayaperumal (left) and Gopal Subramaniam (right) have been ordered by the court to return the $3 million given to them by late doctor.
PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO, LAU FOOK KONG

Selina Lum
Law Correspondent
PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2017

SINGAPORE - When a retired doctor was asked to subtract seven from 100, the octogenarian, who had dementia, answered 200.

The late Dr Freda Paul's inability to do a simple arithmetic calculation in December 2009 was one of the reasons cited by the High Court on Monday (May 15) when it found that she lacked the mental capacity to carry out acts of making gifts in 2010, when she gave away $5 million to her maid, a construction worker and an engineer.

Judicial Commissioner Debbie Ong ordered construction worker Kulandaivelu Malayaperumal to return $2 million to Dr Paul's estate. Engineer Gopal Subramaniam was ordered to return $912,000.

A default judgment had earlier been obtained against the Sri Lankan maid Arulampalam Kanthimathy, who received $2 million.

The trio had cut Dr Paul off from her relatives and friends and made her live in unclean conditions, including sleeping on newspapers spread out on her bed.

Dr Paul, who died in August last year at the age of 87, was a paediatrician at Singapore General Hospital. She was single and her sole asset was a house in Haig Road, which was sold in 2009 for $15.4 million.

In 2001, she befriended Mr Malayaperumal, a worker at a nearby construction site, and his supervisor, Mr Subramaniam. Both were from India.

She was then living with her mentally disabled sister and her maid.

In 2007, she willed the bulk of her wealth to be used to set up a bursary fund for needy female medical students at the National University of Singapore. Four cousins in Malaysia were the other beneficiaries.

By May 2009, Mr Malayaperumal would occasionally stay over at her home.

In September 2009, after her sister died, Dr Paul told her lawyer to prepare a power of attorney, authorising Mr Subramaniam to sell the house.

After selling the house, Mr Subramaniam deposited $10 million into her bank account, gave $1 million to Mr Malayaperumal, $1 million to Ms Kanthimathy, and $912,000 to himself. He also used $2.4 million to buy a smaller house in Ceylon Road for Dr Paul.

Six months later, Mr Malayaperumal and Ms Kanthimathy each received another $1 million. Property agent Parvathi Somu, who handled the deals, received $500,000.
The maid was added as a joint holder of Dr Paul's bank account.

Around the same time, Dr Paul made a will, this time leaving most of her assets to Mr Malayaperumal and Ms Kanthimathy. There was no bequest for the bursary fund.

In 2013, her distant relatives, senior counsel Philip Jeyaretnam and Dr Ruhunadevi Joshua, were appointed to be deputies under the Mental Capacity Act to manage Dr Paul's affairs.

Suspecting she had been exploited, they went to court to reinstate the terms in the 2007 will and launched a lawsuit to recover the $5.4 million.

Mr Malayaperumal and Mr Subramaniam contested the suit in a trial this year, during which Mr Jeyaretnam took the stand.

Money recovered from them will go into the NUS bursary fund, said lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mr Herman Jeremiah.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#18

Jail, fine for ex-Singtel assistant manager who shared customers' details with loan shark

Pleo Sherwin Cubos retrieved information for a loan shark despite knowing that he not supposed to do so.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
30 DEC 2020


SINGAPORE - Unable to settle his debts with an unlicensed moneylender, an assistant manager with telecommunications company Singtel decided to help the loan shark by sharing with him the details of six Singtel customers.

A district court heard that Filipino Pleo Sherwin Cubos, 40, retrieved the information for the loan shark, who is known only as "Alan", despite knowing that he is not supposed to do so.

On Wednesday (Dec 30), Cubos, who is no longer working for Singtel, pleaded guilty to one count each of assisting a loan shark and an unrelated criminal breach of trust charge.
He was sentenced to three months and three weeks' jail and given a $30,000 fine; should he be unable to pay it, he will spend an additional six weeks behind bars.

Cubos earned a base pay of about $5,000 a month at his job and was in need of cash some time in late January. He responded to a Facebook advertisement for loan facilities to borrow $500.

He was then told to fork out $350 as interest per week until he was able to repay the principal sum of $500.

Cubos started to take up more loans as he was unable to settle his debt, the court heard.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh said: "In the short span of two weeks, the accused's debts had snowballed to about $3,000 across five different unlicensed moneylenders.

"As the accused was unable to repay his debts, he began to be harassed by the unlicensed moneylenders, which included (being shown) footage of a house being set on fire and an unknown individual standing outside his apartment."

The loan shark called Alan later sent Cubos a list of identity card numbers as well as phone numbers as he knew the Filipino was working for Singtel.

Alan told Cubos that he would stop harassing him if Cubos agreed to access Singtel's internal data system, known as CRM, to screen the numbers and retrieve details such as the customers' addresses.

Cubos did as he was told and screened the records of 27 customers on CRM between Feb 20 and April 25 even though he was not authorised to do so. He then sent the details of six customers to Alan.

In March and April, Cubos also pawned three of Singtel's iPads worth nearly $2,000 in total to obtain at least $250 in return.

He then used the money for his personal expenses.

His supervisor found out about Cubos' offences and alerted the police on May 2.

For helping an unlicensed moneylender, an offender can be jailed for up to four years and fined up to $300,000.

The offender can also be ordered to receive up to six strokes of the cane.

 

[mudhatter]

Foreign Talent create jobs for stinkies.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Foreign Talent create jobs for stinkies.

Yes. More demand for policemen, prison wardens, judges, reporters.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#19
His lawyer is Indian. Guess his race.

Director at multinational firm jailed for taking upskirt videos of colleagues, sister-in-law
By LOUISA TANG
JANUARY 11, 2021

A married man pleaded guilty to five counts of insulting a woman’s modesty after being caught with filming up the skirts of his colleagues.

SINGAPORE — A 46-year-old Singapore permanent resident was jailed 12 weeks on Monday (Jan 11) for filming up the skirts of his female colleagues and sister-in-law.

The man, who worked for the South Asia branch of a multinational corporation in the technology industry, cannot be named due to a court order to protect his victims.

His workplace and victims cannot be named either.

He was employed at the firm in Singapore since 2013 before being fired in 2019, after he was caught filming his colleagues.

On Monday, he pleaded guilty to five counts of insulting a woman’s modesty.

District Judge Adam Nakhoda considered another 10 similar charges for sentencing.

The court heard that he first filmed his wife’s sister at his former residence in May 2015.

He had held his mobile phone under the dining table to do so when she was there for dinner.

He took another video up her skirt two years ago, again at his old home along Sims Avenue. Both videos captured her underwear and inner thighs.

From 2016 to 2019, he took more upskirt videos of unknown colleagues at his workplace.

In February 2019, a senior manager from the company learned of some allegations against the man, which were unrelated to the present offences.

He was accused of awarding a disproportionate amount of business to a supplier.

While the company eventually found no wrongdoing on his part, the perception of wrongdoing was sufficient to terminate his employment given his senior position.

At the time, as part of the company’s standard procedure, the senior manager asked him to hand over his mobile phone for internal investigations

He cooperated and she later discovered upskirt videos of their colleagues.

She made a police report at Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre on May 10, 2019. He was fired that day.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua sought at least 14 weeks’ jail, arguing that his offences took place over a protracted period and involved multiple victims.

In mitigation, the man’s lawyer Shashi Nathan from Withers KhattarWong told the court that his client was the family’s sole breadwinner, putting up with the “pressures of a demanding job” to provide for his children.

His oldest daughter, now aged 15, suffers from severe psychological issues.

He also just learned that she had confessed to having sex with her tuition teacher.

“She needs (his father) now more than ever… she is heavily reliant on him for emotional support, and improvements to her mental health were significant after he left his job and was able to stay home and care for her full-time,” Mr Nathan added

.As for the upskirt videos, the lawyer said that his client “would be overcome with shame and guilt each time he succumbed to the temptation of filming these women”.

He had attended several sessions with his psychiatrist and psychologist and his wife is “relentlessly supportive”, Mr Nathan told the court.

For insulting a woman’s modesty, the man could have been jailed for up to a year or fined, or both.

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...pNEHl6VfZy2ivdgMkTR4c9lAZAcbkWZmBVoigt5buV0vY

 

[mudhatter]

How come 158th can't name India openly?

why so afraid of CECA?

why need to paint 'em all with one brush under "south asia"?

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#20

Man jailed for molesting sleeping woman on bus, asks judge not to name him
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
13 Jan 2021

SINGAPORE: A man was jailed for four months and two weeks on Wednesday (Jan 13) for molesting a sleeping woman on a bus.

Khin Chin Jie, a 22-year-old Malaysian, asked the judge not to name him but was unsuccessful in his attempt.

The court heard that the victim, a 29-year-old woman, boarded a double-decker bus from Orchard Road towards Clementi on Aug 28 last year.

She sat in the third-last row on the top deck and fell asleep. She woke up along Holland Village and when she saw that no one was beside her, she continued to nap.

Khin had boarded the bus sometime earlier and swap seats to sit next to the victim, who was still asleep. He looked at her and saw a few strands of hair on her chest area, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Joseph Gwee.

He then reached out and touched her breast over her clothes. The victim felt the touch and woke up immediately. Khin appeared shocked and quickly withdrew his hand, the court heard.

The victim did not want to look Khin in the eye, instead she stared in Khin's direction and said nothing. Khin alighted soon after near Buona Vista MRT station.

The victim lodged an online police report that day saying she was molested on bus 106.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Joseph Gwee asked for at least five months' jail, saying that the offence had occurred on a public transport network.

"Crime statistics show that there remains still a high number of cases involving outrage of modesty on the public transport system (239 reported instances in 2019)," he said.

The victim was vulnerable as she was asleep when the offence was committed, and there was a degree of premeditation as the accused chose to sit beside her even though the bus was not fully crowded and two seats opposite the victim were vacant.

In mitigation, the unrepresented Khin told the judge he hoped that his identity would not be disclosed to members of the public.

When prompted by the judge to respond, the prosecutor said: "All court mentions are on open record, where members of the public are able to be present in the court room, and this is in interest of accessibility to justice."

Khin asked again if he could confirm that his identity would not be revealed, but the judge told him that there was no legal basis to do so.

For outraging the victim's modesty, Khin could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these penalties.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#21

Jail for man who attacked ex-girlfriend and threatened to kill her

Dominic Low

14 JAN 2021


SINGAPORE - Upset with his former girlfriend after their break-up, an auxiliary police officer punched and kicked the woman at their workplace as well as threatened to disseminate nude photographs of her and even kill her.

The 27-year-old Malaysian was sentenced to six weeks' jail on Thursday (Jan 14) .

He had been convicted in December last year of one count of voluntarily causing hurt and two charges of criminal intimidation.

The man and his victim cannot be identified due to a gag order to protect the woman's identity.

Court documents state that they became a couple in mid-2018. But by Nov 29 that year, they had broken up.

In her written submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Shana Poon said that the man was unhappy with his victim over the break-up.


"This was a relationship which was marked by considerable inequality in power - the accused did not like (the woman) using social media, made her write down 'mistakes' he thought she had made, and agreed that (the woman) was the one who was begging for his affection and attention," added the DPP.

On Nov 29, 2018, when they were on the afternoon shift at the headquarters of a police division, the man asked the woman to meet him at the staff pantry.
There, he punched her in the head, face and torso, as well as kicked her on the shins and thighs, said DPP Poon.

The man spoke to the victim over the phone later that day. He threatened to kill her and repeatedly uttered a vulgar word.

He threatened her over the phone again sometime after midnight the next day, when the woman had left work, said the DPP.

This time, he told her that he would disseminate nude photographs of her online if she did not cooperate with him.

She lodged a police report later that day.

The man, who was represented by lawyer Lim Tean, had earlier argued that the incident in the pantry unfolded differently.
He claimed that he had pushed the woman's right shoulder in irritation, causing her face to hit against a metal locker.

He also argued that the woman had tried to stop him from leaving the pantry by "locking" his ankle with her legs, and he had to use his leg to "push" her ankle away.

Among other things, the man claimed that he had only said the threatening words during the first call without any intention of actually killing the woman.

On Thursday, Mr Lim urged the court to impose a fine on his client, noting that he was supporting his family in Malaysia.

Court records show that the man has appealed against both his conviction and sentence.

For his offence of causing hurt to the woman, he could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000.

Those convicted of criminal intimidation can be jailed for up to two years and/or fined. For certain threats, including to cause death, the offender can be jailed up to 10 years and/or fined instead.

 

[Travelickb]

Really hated other police who abuse their power, acting as like nobody else can harm them. They all deserve a spot in their jail!

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#22

Former Singapore Straits Wine Company sales executive fined $12,000 for graft

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

20 JAN 2021

SINGAPORE - A former sales executive with the Singapore Straits Wine Company (SWC) was fined $12,000 on Wednesday (Jan 20) for his role in a graft case involving around $6,000.

Micael Musoni, who pleaded guilty to three corruption charges linked to some $3,000, had suggested that the bribes to a client be masked as fees for "sommelier training".

Five other similar charges involving the remaining amount were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The 31-year-old Italian man will have to spend 24 days behind bars if he is unable to pay his fine.

Musoni is the second former SWC employee to be dealt with in court for graft.

Malaysian Ee Chay Wea, 39, an ex-assistant sales manager, was fined $3,000 in December last year after pleading guilty to a corruption charge.

The cases involving former chief executive officer Kathy Lim Yok Lyn, 47, and former head of operations Janice Yip Kin Chee, 74, are still pending.

A district court heard on Wednesday that the Cut By Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Marina Bay Sands (MBS) had routinely bought wine from SWC.

In October 2017, Musoni spoke to Farook Mohamed Faizal, 37, who was then the restaurant's assistant general manager, about the possibility of increasing the amount of wine order.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran said: "Farook asked the accused for 'performance incentives' from SWC in order to purchase more wine from SWC. Farook was not allowed by Cut or MBS to receive any form of incentive or payment from vendors."

According to court documents, Musoni later approached Lim with Farook's proposal and she agreed to it. Yip was also informed of the plan.

DPP Thiagesh added: "Kathy told the accused that the company would pay performance incentives to Farook on condition that he conduct sommelier training for SWC. The training sessions could then be used to cover up the payments to Farook.

"Ordinarily, sommelier training sessions were free and were conducted by wine suppliers, which Farook was not. The performance incentives to Farook were masked as fees for sommelier training sessions when in fact the payments were meant to be performance incentives to induce Farook to purchase more wine from SWC."


Musoni passed the bribes to Farook in 2017 and 2018.
Court documents do not statehowthe offences came to light, but Farook has since made full restitution to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. His case is still pending.

If convicted of graft, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000 for each charge.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#23

Man jailed for breaking through safe-distancing barricades at Jurong Point, punching security guard

A view of Jurong Point mall.
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
20 Jan 2021

SINGAPORE: When told by a security guard to enter Jurong Point via another entrance due to COVID-19 measures, a man broke through safe-distancing barricades at the mall and caused a ruckus inside.

When the guard tried to take him away, the man struggled and punched the guard in his face.

Parma Nadam R Ammayappan, 68, was given four weeks' jail and fined S$1,500 on Wednesday (Jan 20) for his crimes.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of voluntarily causing hurt, behaving in a disorderly manner and absconding, with a fourth charge considered in sentencing.

Parma was at Jurong Point at about 1pm on Sep 24 last year. He told a security officer and his supervisor that he wanted to go to the third floor of the mall.

The security supervisor told Parma to go in by another mall entrance as the entrance they were at was barricaded due to COVID-19 safe-distancing measures.

Parma ignored this and broke through the safe-distancing barricades, with the two guards trailing him and warning him against causing any more trouble.

Parma went up to the third floor before going to a restaurant in the basement where he shouted and asked restaurant diners for food and money.

A restaurant employee sought help from the security staff, and they tried to talk to Prabu and take him to the Fire Command Centre. The security supervisor held Parma's arm to direct him there, but Parma struggled and punched his cheek.

Parma was eventually detained and released on station bail, but absconded for 87 days. He was unrepresented in court and said he was staying alone and was "depressed and oppressed", without anyone to take care of him.

For voluntarily causing hurt, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#24

Man jailed 9 months for molesting pregnant woman after following her home

File photo.
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
20 Jan 2021

SINGAPORE: A man was given nine months' jail on Wednesday (Jan 20) for molesting a pregnant woman after following her to a lift lobby, cornering her inside the lift and repeatedly blocking her attempts to flee.

Kota Durga Prasad, a 26-year-old painter from India, had been cycling towards a block in Jurong West on the night of Sep 5 last year when he saw the victim crossing a traffic junction.

The 28-year-old woman was visiting her husband, who was working in Singapore, and was three months' pregnant at that time.

Kota thought that the victim "looked pretty" and decided to follow her, said the prosecutor. He cycled behind her to a lift lobby of a housing block, where he approached her and asked for her phone number.

The woman declined and told Kota that she had a husband, but Kota replied that "it was okay to have friendship with her because nowadays maids from India even though they are married, they have boyfriend in Singapore".

The victim entered the lift when it arrived, and Kota followed her. When the woman tried to escape, Kota blocked her several times with his body and hands.

The lift doors closed and the victim was trapped in the lift with Kota, who hugged her and put his face very close to her.

The victim struggled, but Kota pressed his body against her until the lift stopped at the 11th floor. The woman screamed for help, but there was no one else around, and Kota pressed the lift buttons to close the elevator.

As the lift went down, the victim told Kota that she would give him her number and asked him not to hurt her. She gave him her real number, and while Kota was taking it down, he continued to block her exit and press the lift buttons to make sure they would remain inside together.

When the victim tried to escape again after the doors opened, Kota held her back and pressed his face close to her. Thinking he was trying to kiss her, the victim pushed him away, before telling him that she was pregnant.

Kota reached out and rubbed her stomach a few times, but eventually left the elevator, leaving the victim slumped against the lift wall in relief. Kota tried to reopen the lift doors, but failed as the lift had started its ascent.

When he got home, he sent the victim multiple messages and called her repeatedly until midnight. The victim ignored him and contacted her husband, who rushed home and called the police.

ASSAULT WAS PROLONGED AND PERSISTENT: PROSECUTOR

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En asked for 10 months' jail and caning, saying that Kota had used "quite a degree of wrongful restraint", and followed the victim for some time.

He was undeterred when the victim told him she had a husband and declined to give him her number, said Mr Chong.

The assault was prolonged and Kota was persistent, exploiting the lift door feature by constantly pressing the buttons to prevent the victim from fleeing.

"Regardless whether they have husbands or are with child, women deserve to be safe and to feel safe," said Mr Chong. "They should not have to fear assault just by going out by their everyday lives."

He added that Kota was "clearly a person who could not take no for an answer regardless of how many times the victim tried verbally or physically".

"We urge the honourable court to send a message that this sort of misogynistic behavior will not be condoned," said the prosecutor.

For outrage of modesty, Kota could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these punishments.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#25

Man jailed for breaking into HDB flat, scouting units floor by floor to steal lingerie

File photo of laundry being hung to dry outside an HDB block.
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
20 Jan 2021

SINGAPORE: An accountant with a fetish for ladies' underwear roved a housing block floor by floor to steal underwear and on one occasion cleaned out all the lingerie he could find in a flat he had broken into, hiding in a room when a maid and a child returned home.

Malaysian national So Chik Hwee, 39, was given seven months and one week's jail on Wednesday (Jan 20) for his crimes.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of theft and housebreaking to commit theft, with another three charges considered in sentencing.

On Apr 30, 2019, So noticed several bras and panties hanging outside a flat along the corridor of a housing block.

He observed the flat for 10 minutes and decided to break in when he saw no activity inside.

He walked over and looked in, before sliding open the glass window and inserting his hand into the flat to open the main door.

So searched through a pile of laundry in the kitchen and pocketed a pair of panties. He then went into a bedroom and searched through the drawers. He packed all the bras and panties he could find into a plastic bag that was on a table.

However, before he could leave, a child returned home with a domestic helper.

So closed the door to the bedroom and hid there until he was able to leave without being seen, fleeing through the front door with his bag of stolen clothes.

On a second occasion on Jun 25, 2019, So took a lift to the highest floor of a block of flats and walked down the staircase floor by floor to see if he could steal any underwear.

When he got to the fifth floor, he saw two women leave their flat and noticed that the door and gate were unlocked.

He knocked on the door to ensure no one was home, before entering and stealing 26 bras, 11 pairs of panties, a pair of stockings and two nightgown tops worth S$1,590 in total.

He stole again in October last year after he saw underwear hung out to dry on the sixth floor of a block. He stole three bras and eight pairs of panties.

So was caught and remanded later that month. He was found to be in possession of 60 bras and 44 panties, which he could not give a satisfactory account for. Court documents did not indicate how he was caught.

A medical report from the Institute of Mental Health found that So had a fetishistic disorder with a long-standing intense sexual arousal from women's underwear, specifically panties, for attaining sexual gratification.

However, So was found to be fully aware of the nature and wrongfulness of his acts at the time.

The prosecutor asked for nine months' jail. So's lawyer Wee Hong Shern asked for six months' jail instead, saying his client has no previous convictions and was fired from his job due to the case.

For housebreaking by day to commit theft, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years. For theft in dwelling, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined, while he could have been jailed for up to three years and fined for theft.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#26



Man first to be jailed for spate of wire thefts from vacant school that cost S$480,000 in repairs

Screengrab from Google Street View of Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary School.
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
21 Jan 2021

SINGAPORE: During the COVID-19 "circuit breaker", a group of men conspired to enter a vacant school and dismantle wires, leaving them behind for another group to collect and transport for sale.

Seven bags of wires were taken from the Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary School in the dead of the night in April last year, with the cost of subsequent repairs amounting to $480,000.

Bangladeshi Rasel, 31, was the first of the second group - tasked with collecting the dismantled wires and moving them - to plead guilty to his involvement on Thursday (Jan 21).

He was given 17 months' jail for house-breaking in order to commit theft, with a second similar charge taken into consideration.

The wire thefts were part of a spate of similar cases in vacant schools last year, but there is no evidence so far to link Rasel's case to wire thefts from Tampines and Jurong Junior Colleges, the court heard.

On Apr 2 last year, Rasel - who goes by one name - was approached by his friend and co-accused Hoque Kazi Romzanul. Hoque asked Rasel and his two roommates if they were interested in getting paid to carry wires out of a school and load them on a lorry to be sold.

Rasel and his roommates agreed. At about 8.15pm the next day, the four men took a taxi to the school in Dunearn Road to steal the wires. Most of them had been dismantled earlier by an unknown group, through the arrangements of a mastermind who has not been identified, said the prosecutor.

CHECKED FOR ALL-CLEAR BEFORE CLIMBING IN OVER FENCE

Outside the school, Rasel's group stood at a nearby overhead bridge to check that it was all clear before climbing over a fence into the school, denting it.

They packed the dismantled wires in the school into sacks, pulling down some that had not been properly removed, filling seven sacks with the items.

After the group kept the wires behind a wall to avoid detection, Hoque called a driver to pick them up, lying to him that their lorry had broken down.

The group loaded the wires onto the lorry in the wee hours of the morning and went to Geylang, where they unloaded the wires. The items were subsequently sold to a shop and the four men returned home.

The next day, Hoque paid Rasel S$45 for the work done, and later asked Rasel and his roommates if they wanted to complete another job.

CAUGHT RED-HANDED ON SECOND ATTEMPT

They agreed and returned to the same school at 6pm on Apr 4, 2020, entering the same way and packing the wires. Rasel saw his roommate trying to tilt a closed-circuit television camera that was mounted on the wall and helped him to do it.

However, employees from the security centre saw that the camera had been tampered with and played back the footage to see Rasel pushing the camera upwards.

At the time, the school was managed by the Singapore Land Authority, which appointed Certis CISCO Security to guard it. The school was unoccupied and there were initial plans to use it as a governmental quarantine facility, but this "did not come to fruition due to unknown reasons", said the prosecutor.

Certis CISCO called the police and a few officers arrived at the school at 11.40pm that day to investigate. Rasel's two roommates saw the police officers and told Rasel and Hoque to hide. They went to the upper levels of a classroom block, but were spotted by the police when they checked all the rooms.

Rasel and Hoque were arrested and the police seized several items including the six sacks of wires, a sack of tools, pairs of gloves and multiple bundles of wires.

The cost of reinstating the dismantled wires and related costs amounted to S$480,000, the court heard. Of this, the cost of supplying new wires alone, based on an estimated 500m of wiring, was about S$25,000.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Wee Yang Xi asked for at least 18 months' jail for Rasel, saying that he had entered the school surreptitiously and that there was a high degree of sophisticated planning as well as "a wider criminal enterprise".

"The offence was planned by an unidentified mastermind who even arranged for the wires to be sold to a shop in the wee hours of the morning," said Mr Wee.

Rasel's group had broken into the school at night and stayed in the compound for hours to carry out their offences "under the concealment of the night and the lower level of watchfulness of the school", he said.

"Even though it was unused, the school was a building with intact facilities and property under the management of the Singapore Land Authority, a statutory board, at the material time."

The dismantling of the wires involved "acts of wanton vandalism" including cutting the wires and pulling out the wire case covers, said Mr Wee.

BORROWED A HUGE SUM TO COME HERE: RASEL

Rasel was undefended and gave his mitigation through an interpreter from his place of remand. He said he came to Singapore to work in January 2020 and was arrested a few months after.

"I borrowed a huge sum to come to Singapore and I was unable to return back the money, your honour. I am the sole breadwinner of my family. My parents are old and they are very sick," he said, asking for a lighter sentence to return home and care for his parents.

Upon questioning by the judge, he said he initially had a work pass and did work for a month but was told the company would close down, and was not given any salary or food.

District Judge Jasbendar Kaur asked the prosecutor if this case was linked to the alleged wire thefts from Tampines Junior College and Jurong Junior College last year.

"I have checked with SPF (Singapore Police Force) on this, and the case DPP for the Jurong and Tampines JC cases - as of now, there is no indication they are related, no evidence suggesting they are connected," answered Mr Wee.

Hoque is claiming trial, said the prosecutor. Of Rasel's two roommates, one intends to claim trial while the other was only recently arrested and investigations are pending.

Judge Kaur told Rasel that he had committed the offence to make money and that there was "a bigger planning at work". She backdated his sentence to his date of remand in April last year.

For house-breaking to commit theft, Rasel could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined. The junior college wire theft cases are pending.

 

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#27
Man on trial for alleged non-consensual sexual act on couchsurfing male tourist

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

25 JAN 2021


SINGAPORE - A man is on trial after he allegedly performed a non-consensual sexual act on a male tourist who was couchsurfing in his home in 2019.

Now in remand, Filipino Ryan Edward Poquiz Perez, 35, is accused of performing oral sex on the married man without his consent between 1.30am and 2.30am on Jan 11 that year.

The 25-year-old alleged victim gave his testimony in a district court on Monday (Jan 25) but it was heard in-camera. This means the hearing was not open to the public, including members of the media.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min told District Judge Ronald Gwee that the man had flown in to Singapore from Switzerland for the trial. He had completed his quarantine and tested negative for Covid-19.

The man's identity cannot be revealed due to a gag order and the location of the alleged offence has been redacted from court documents.

His wife is also expected to give her testimony in court later this week.

Defence lawyer Peter Ong said that Perez has been in remand since 2019.

It was not mentioned in court on Monday as to how Perez first met the alleged victim.

If convicted of the offence, Perez can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.

 

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#28

Woman who claims to be 'sovereign' expected to face another charge under Women's Charter

Paramjeet Kaur was charged with offences, including failure to wear a mask, and was seen in a video clip (right) claiming to be a "sovereign".
PHOTOS: WONG KWAI CHOW, AH XIONG/YOUTUBE
David Sun

26 JAN 2021

SINGAPORE - The woman who claimed she was a "sovereign" when told to wear a mask in public is expected to face another charge under the Women's Charter.

Paramjeet Kaur, 41, currently faces six charges, four of which are for breaching Covid-19 regulations. The remaining two are for public nuisance and for failing to report her change of home address.

Her case was heard again on Tuesday morning (Jan 26) but she was not in court as her presence was dispensed with.

Defence lawyer Mohamed Arshad told District Judge Adam Nakhoda that his client could face another charge under the Women's Charter. It is not clear what it will be for. The judge adjourned the case on Tuesday and sent it to the community court.

Kaur made headlines after she was caught on video claiming to be a "sovereign" during an argument with passers-by at Shunfu Mart near Upper Thomson Road in May last year.
In the video, which went viral online, she is heard making claims that the law does not apply to her.

"It means I have nothing to do with the police, it means I have no contract with the police," she said. "They have no say over me."

She also claimed that she was "not a person", but was instead "we the people".

Kaur is currently out on $10,000 bail, and her case will be heard again on Feb 22.

For failing to wear a mask over the nose and mouth, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.

Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $20,000.

 

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#29

Jail for returning employment pass holder nabbed at Changi Airport with cannabis vape pen
By LOUISA TANG
Published JANUARY 27, 2021

Lindsay Fox/Pixabay

The court heard that Moher Daniel Redmond concealed a vape pen containing the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis when he arrived at Changi Airport after a visit to North America.

• Daniel Redmond Moher, 29, pleaded guilty to possessing a Class A controlled drug
• He said a friend gave him a vape pen containing the main psychoactive compound in cannabis
• Such a device is legal in Canada, but Moher hid it in his luggage, knowing it was illegal in Singapore
• He used the drug out of grief after a close friend in Singapore died, his lawyer said

SINGAPORE — A Canadian man was jailed 16 weeks on Wednesday (Jan 27) for possessing a vaporiser containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.

Daniel Redmond Moher, 29, was on a Singapore employment pass when he was caught at Changi Airport with the vape pen in his luggage in 2019 upon his return.

The vape had at least 0.35g of a gel-like substance that contained THC — sufficient for one dose. Moher hid the device in a deodorant bottle as he knew it was illegal to have it in Singapore.

He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a Class A controlled drug, with another charge of possessing a drug utensil taken into consideration for sentencing.Court documents did not give details of his employment.

The Ministry of Manpower's website states that an employment pass allows foreign professionals, managers and executives to work in Singapore. Candidates need to earn at least S$4,500 a month and have acceptable qualifications.

In sentencing him, District Judge Jennifer S Marie noted the “exceptional circumstances” surrounding the case.

Moher’s friend in Canada had given him the vape, which is legal there. Moher was devastated by his close friend’s death in Singapore. He then took the drug out of “grief and despair” and this was out of character for him, the judge said.

Nevertheless, she warned that the court needs to “send the right signal that those who bring into Singapore controlled drugs, even though the possession is legal elsewhere, will not be let off with a slap on the wrist”.T
he sentence was neither unduly harsh nor lenient, she added.

WHAT HAPPENED

The court heard that Moher was leaving an arrival hall at Terminal 2 of Changi Airport on May 16, 2019 when an officer stopped him to conduct a routine screening of his luggage.

Moher had flown back to Singapore from San Francisco in the United States.

He replied in the negative when the officer asked him if he had anything to declare.

Shortly after, the X-ray machine showed something in his luggage that looked like an electronic cigarette. The officer then found a bag of toiletries but no e-cigarette there.

Moher admitted there was a “CBD (cannabidiol) pen” hidden in a deodorant bottle in the toiletries bag when the officer said that he would put the bag through another X-ray scan.

Moher was placed under arrest for drug-related offences.

He later admitted that he intended to smoke the drug and felt high after smoking similar substances overseas.

CBD, which is usually used in medical cannabis, is advertised overseas as being able to provide relief for conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Cannabis is also known as marijuana or weed.

‘I HAVE NO EXCUSES’

Deputy Public Prosecutors Nicholas Wuan and Lu Yiwei sought at least four months’ jail, reduced from six months due to Moher’s contrition, his early plea of guilt and co-operation with the authorities.

His lawyer, Mr Wendell Wong from Drew & Napier, asked for three months’ jail instead, pointing out his client’s remorse and the unique facts of the case.

On why his client made this mistake, Mr Wong said: “It was in the context of a very difficult period of time for him where he had just suddenly lost his best friend in Singapore, whom he considered like a baby brother to him.”

Testimonials written by the friend’s family showed that Moher was emotionally affected by the loss.

Mr Wong also pointed out that the vape pen could not be refilled once he finished using it.The lawyer revealed that they could have pursued a legal question as to the specific weight of the gel-like substance found in the vape, but Moher chose not to do so in order to save court resources.

“He understands that in Singapore, he has to abide by the laws here. He has gone through so much that he has to seek medical help from time to time. His family members are very concerned about him,” Mr Wong added.

Moher was also given permission to address the court. He thanked District Judge Marie for her compassion and in considering a lower sentence.

His voice shaking at times, he said: “I don’t have much else to say other than echoing Wendell’s thoughts. I made a mistake; I am very sorry and very ashamed of it. But I have no excuses and I’d like to just get on with my life.”

For possessing a Class A controlled drug, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years or fined up to S$20,000, or both.

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...older-nabbed-changi-airport-cannabis-vape-pen

 

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#30

Foreigner jailed for breaking taxi driver’s nose after night out at Orchard Towers
By LOUISA TANG
Published JANUARY 28, 2021

• Buckley Eugene Gerrard was heavily intoxicated and flew into a rage when the cabbie missed a turn near his Tanglin home.
• Taxi driver Tan Heng Choon missed a turn while taking Buckley Eugene Gerrard home
• His passenger Buckley Eugene Gerrard uttered vulgarities before punching the driver in the face
• The New Zealander’s lawyer said that Buckley was “anxious” about his job prospects
• He was jailed 30 weeks

SINGAPORE — Heavily intoxicated from a night of drinking at Orchard Towers, Buckley Eugene Gerrard flew into a rage when a taxi driver missed a turn near his home off Stevens Road.

Buckley punched the driver’s face several times, fracturing his nose. The New Zealander also flung the driver’s mobile phone to the ground when the driver said that he wanted to call the police.

Buckley, 59, was on Friday (Jan 29) jailed 30 weeks or about seven-and-a-half months. His sentence was backdated to Nov 20 last year when he was held in remand.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of causing grievous hurt to the 60-year-old taxi driver Tan Heng Choon. Two other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

They attacked him and got jailDRUNKEN NIGHT OUT The court heard that Buckley went to The Drunken Poet, a pub at Orchard Towers, on the evening of Feb 26 last year and consumed many bottles of beer.

He drank more at another bar and got into Mr Tan’s taxi at about 3am the next day. A woman who was not identified had accompanied him.

He told Mr Tan to take him to his Stevens Close home, but the taxi driver missed the turn there. An exasperated Buckley told him: “You idiot, you overshot the location.”Mr Tan stopped his taxi at the nearby Dalvey Road after being told to do so by Buckley, who said that he wanted to settle the fare.

While the driver was checking his taxi meter, Buckley repeatedly uttered a vulgarity and grumbled.

He later left the taxi and got into the front passenger seat to hand over his credit card for payment. Mr Tan dropped the card.

Losing his cool, Buckley raised his voice and rained punches on Mr Tan’s face. Mr Tan tried to defend himself and managed to block further assaults.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Phoebe Tan said that the driver was in great pain by then, and bled from his face and nose.

Getting out of the vehicle, he asked Buckley why he had punched him.

Buckley tried to offer money as compensation, asking how much was enough, but Mr Tan said that he wanted to report the matter to the police.

When he picked up his mobile phone to do so, Buckley snatched it and flung it some distance away.

When a passer-by came to Mr Tan’s help, Buckley tried to walk away to his unit at Stevens Close, but Mr Tan held onto his bag to stop him.

Buckley eventually went home, saying that he had to use the toilet.

Mr Tan then noticed that the woman who was with Buckley had also left. Police officers arrived soon after.

Mr Tan, who sought medical treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, suffered a chipped tooth, a nasal fracture and other injuries. He was given four days of medical leave.

He later retrieved his mobile phone, which had cracked.

Buckley has since reimbursed him for his medical bills totalling about S$190.

ANXIOUS AFTER LOSING JOB

DPP Tan sought eight months’ jail, while Buckley’s lawyer Andre Jumabhoy from law firm Peter Low and Choo asked for six months instead.

The lawyer told the court that Buckley came to Singapore in 2017 and was “quite successful” in the financial technology industry. He lost his job, however, and was unemployed when he committed the crimes.

Mr Jumabhoy said that his client was increasingly anxious about his future and was separated from his partner, who was in Macau then and could not return to Singapore because the borders were shut during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Jumabhoy said that when Buckley left the bar, he was stressed and experienced some breathing difficulties that caused him to panic slightly. “It started because he took the erroneous belief that the taxi driver threw his card.” Buckley made no excuse for his acts and was grateful that Mr Tan was not significantly hurt, Mr Jumabhoy said.

He also said that Buckley was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but accepted that the condition did not have a contributory link to his offences.

For causing grievous hurt, he could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined or caned.

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...wMoUbNxlqcNpRmYirNijp3qJOd5d_ClEoVvkaoyqITfR0

 

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#31
Guess why he goes to Thailand. To do more probing into "education" of young children?

Briton, 29, pleads guilty to molesting his three-year-old female student at learning centre

Cheryl Teh

1 FEB 2021

SINGAPORE - A 29-year-old British educator has pleaded guilty on Monday (Feb 1) to molesting a nearly four-year-old female student at a learning centre in the west of Singapore.

The court heard that the man, Richard Christopher Monks, molested the girl in October 2018, when she was enrolled at the centre as his student.

At the time of the offence, Monks was 27, and the student was three years and 11 months old.

The offence came to light on Oct 27, 2018, when the victim's parents were planning to bring her to the centre for her regular lessons with Monks, which took place on Saturdays from 4.30pm to 6pm.

The girl was reluctant to go for the lessons and, when asked why, she indicated that the man, who she called "teacher Richard", had "touched her" during the previous lesson on Oct 20, 2018.

When asked where he had touched her, the girl pointed to her buttocks.

The girl's mother lodged a police report at 7pm on the same day and stopped sending her daughter for classes at the education centre.

Closed-circuit footage taken from the classroom was played in court, and showed the Briton rearranging the student's chairs on one side of the classroom table for a video-watching session at around 5.18pm on Oct 20.

There were a total of six students in the class at the time participating in the activity, including the victim, who was the youngest student in class. The other students were between four and five years old.

The court heard that Monks was aware that there was a closed-circuit camera installed in one corner of the classroom, and that it was recording footage from a certain angle.

He placed himself behind the students resulting in him being directly opposite the CCTV camera, allowing the students upper bodies to block the camera's view of his hands, said Deputy Public Prosecutors Nicholas Khoo and Tan Hsiao Tien.

"The lower half of the students' bodies would also not be captured from such an angle," said DPP Tan.

Monks was also seen positioning himself behind the victim as he played a video on his iPhone for the children to watch, as they stood and leaned over the table to see the phone screen.

For a 15 minute period from 5.18pm to 5.33pm, the footage showed Monks repeatedly lifting the victim's pink dress, and caressing her buttocks with his left hand.

The footage showed the victim turning repeatedly to look at Monks during the duration of the molestation.

"The victim was uncomfortable with the accused's touch, and expressed her discomfort by fidgeting and turning back to look at him several times during the said duration. Despite (her) discomfort, the accused continued to touch and caress her buttocks," DPP Tan said.

Monks was also seen using his right hand to hold his Sony handphone camera close to the victim's buttocks, pointing it up her skirt.

He later left Singapore on Oct 27, 2018, and travelled to Thailand. He returned four days later on Oct 31, and was subsequently arrested on Nov 1, 2018.

The DPPs indicated that while the CCTV footage does capture the accused repeatedly pointing the Sony handphone camera at the three-year-old's buttocks, investigations could not determine how many photos or videos were taken by the accused, due to his claim that he lost the phone in Thailand.

It is unclear if the photos or videos are still in existence or have been destroyed.

At the time of his arrest, Monks denied committing the offence in all three statements to the police, but has since pleaded guilty to one charge of outraging the victim's modesty.

The Briton is due back in court on Wednesday for mitigation and sentencing.