Foreign talent's contributions to Singapore

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#32

Malaysian man who left hostel 4 times while on SHN has Singapore PR status revoked

Chong Tet Choe is the first to have his PR status revoked for breaching Covid-19 rules.
ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Jean Iau

5 FEB 2021


SINGAPORE - A man who was convicted of leaving his hostel multiple times during his stay-home notice (SHN) has been stripped of his permanent residence (PR) status.

"Singapore permanent residents who have been convicted of an offence will have their PR status reviewed by the ICA. In the case of Mr Chong Tet Choe, ICA has revoked his PR status on Feb 4," the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement on Friday (Feb 5).

Chong, a Malaysian, is the first to have his PR status revoked for breaching Covid-19 rules.

Another man, 47, lost his PR status and was barred from re-entering Singapore in February last year, after he insisted on leaving Singapore despite being issued an SHN after travelling to China. ICA said it rejected his application for the renewal of his re-entry permit which allows a person to retain his or her PR status while outside of Singapore.

Chong was sentenced to two weeks' jail on Aug 7 last year for breaching Covid-19 regulations.

He was charged in June for breaching his SHN on four occasions to run errands with the knowledge that he displayed symptoms of Covid-19 infection.

ICA on Friday said that foreigners who fail to comply with public health regulations and requirements in Singapore may face further administrative actions by ICA or the Ministry of Manpower, or both.

This includes revoking or shortening the validity of permits and passes to remain or work in Singapore.

Last year, the court heard that Chong visited Summit Medical Clinic at Block 134 Jurong Gateway Road on April 29, complaining of a cough and body aches.
He was issued a medical certificate, and was informed that it was also a SHN.

Chong was told that he should stay in his residence at Westwood Hostel in Jurong West Avenue 5 from April 29 to May 3, and not leave it for any purpose except to seek medical attention.

However, he left his hostel on April 30 to buy groceries and withdraw money at a nearby supermarket.

Chong also went to a canteen near the hostel to buy food on two days - May 2 and May 3.

He left his residence for a second time on May 3 to top up the credit stored in his mobile phone at an AXS machine.

It was only after he was shown the access records of his hostel that he confessed to his offences, the court heard.

For each of his offences, Chong could have been jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000. He could have been jailed for up to a year and fined up to $20,000 for repeat offences.

 

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#33

9 Britons, 1 Singapore PR charged over unlawful gathering on yacht during Phase 2

They were each charged with an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
PHOTOS: BU HUI YAN/FACEBOOOK

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

5 FEB 2021

SINGAPORE - Nine Britons and a Singapore permanent resident (PR) appeared in a district court on Friday (Feb 5) after they allegedly took part in an unlawful gathering on a pleasure craft in breach of Covid-19 rules on Dec 26 last year.

They were each charged with an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.

The nine Britons are: Annabelle Morgan Duke, 26; Philip Edward Knatchbull Holmes, 27; Amy Grace Ropner, 28; Mark Alexander Bellamy, 29; Amy Georgina Hunt, 30; Thomas Cuthbert Williams-Jones, 30; Oliver Francis William Campbell, 31; Benjamin David Waters, 32 and Amy Alexandra Stewart, 32.

The sole PR is Mark Lau San Mao, 30.

The court heard on Friday that Lau and Ropner intend to plead guilty to their charges on March 1.

The cases involving the remaining eight people have been adjourned to Feb 26.

At that time of the incident, gatherings were limited to five persons.

Pictures and videos of the Boxing Day gathering on the pleasure craft named Advant near Lazarus Island were earlier posted on social media.

They showed a group of merrymakers dancing without masks.

In a statement on Jan 23, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said Advant’s licence would be suspended for 30 days.

It added: “MPA reminds all pleasure craft owners and operators to adhere strictly to the safe management plan they have submitted for their business operations, and play their part to keep the Covid-19 situation under control in Singapore.

“MPA takes a very serious view of any breach of safe management measures and will not hesitate to take the parties involved to task,”

First-time offenders who breach laws under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act may face a fine of up to $10,000, up to six months’ jail, or both. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $20,000, sentenced to a maximum of a year in jail, or both.

 

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#34

A*Star scientist allegedly exposed himself and performed sexual act in condo backyard

Chinese national Xie Danpeng is accused of committing the offence at the Barossa Gardens condominium on April 12, 2020.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

8 FEB 2021

SINGAPORE - A scientist from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) allegedly exposed himself and performed a sexual act in a backyard at a condominium last year.

Chinese national Xie Danpeng, 30, whose pre-trial conference was held at the State Courts on Monday (Feb 8), is accused of committing the offence on April 12 last year.

He is said to have lowered his shorts before sexually stimulating himself in the presence of two others at the Barossa Gardens condominium in Pasir Panjang Road between 8am and 9am that day.

Details about his alleged victims have been redacted from court documents.

Xie is also accused of other offences, including two counts each of theft and criminal trespass.

His next pre-trial conference will be on April 5.

A*Star told The Straits Times in a statement that he has been an employee at its Institute of Microelectronics since 2019.

Its spokesman added: "A*Star holds our employees to the highest standards of conduct and behaviour and will take appropriate action when the outcome is clear.

"The case is now before the courts, and A*Star has no further comment."

According to Xie's LinkedIn page, he holds a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Macau.

The university's website states: "Xie Danpeng, a PhD student from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology... received the Best Student Paper Award at the International Conference on Microwave and Millimeter Wave Technology 2018.

"Titled 'Microstrip Leaky-Wave Antennas with Periodical Loading of Shorting Pins', Xie's paper was ranked No. 1 with the highest total score among all student papers at the conference."

If convicted of exposing himself, he can be jailed for up to a year and fined.

 

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#35

Civil engineer jailed 18 days for molesting woman on train
By DARYL CHOO
Published FEBRUARY 09, 2021

Shen Ruifu, 54, who holds a doctorate degree in geotechnical engineering from the National University of Singapore, pleaded guilty in a district court to one count of outrage of modesty.

SINGAPORE — A civil engineer was jailed 18 days on Tuesday (Feb 9) for molesting a woman on an MRT train by scratching her inner thigh.

Shen Ruifu, 54, who holds a doctorate degree in geotechnical engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS), pleaded guilty in a district court to one count of outrage of modesty.

The court heard that the offence was committed on Dec 12, 2018 at about 7.40am on a train on the North-South Line travelling from Ang Mo Kio to Bishan.

A 39-year-old woman standing next to Shen felt him scratching her inner thigh over her skirt. The woman, who cannot be named due to a court gag order to protect her identity, grabbed his hand and shouted for help. They alighted at Bishan MRT station accompanied by another male commuter. Shen was handed to an SMRT staff and the police arrested him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Eugene Teh noted the seriousness of the offence given that it was committed on the public transport network and asked for three to four weeks’ jail.

Shen’s lawyer Raphael Louis from Ray Louis Law Corporation instead asked for a week’s jail, saying that Shen had penned an apology letter to the victim last September to express his remorse and regret over what had happened. He added that Shen did not specifically target the victim and that he committed in the spur of the moment with no skin-to-skin contact.

“I’m not in any way justifying or giving excuses or making light of the trauma the victim must have had. But these are legal nuances that I'd like to bring to the attention of the court.”

Shen had also made donations to gender equality advocacy group Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) after the offence.

He left his work at NUS in 2015 and is listed online as being a senior consultant for engineering firm One Smart Engineering. According to a brochure for an NUS lecture in 2014, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Tsinghua University in China, before getting a master’s and PhD in geotechnical engineering at NUS.

He has published more than a dozen research papers and has received awards for his work.

Mr Louis highlighted that in the case of NUS student Terence Siow, who was sentenced to two weeks’ jail for molesting a 28-year-old woman on a train in 2018, Siow had two charges taken into consideration on top of the molest charge proceeded against him.

Shen, on the other hand, only faced one charge of molest and therefore should receive a lower sentence than Siow, Mr Louis said.

District Judge Marvin Bay, in his sentencing remarks, noted Shen’s contributions to the geotechnical sciences and construction sectors and replied that Shen was much older than the 24-year-old Siow and should therefore be held to a higher standard.

“There is a considerable difference in age, where Terence Siow was a fairly youthful offender, Dr Shen is an individual who is far more mature in years, and would certainly be expected to know better.

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

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...RRnxBvgv4FtnFNfOCvbWeH9naOFzf0vRpb_eVqV5-K-hE

 

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#36

Singapore PR who represented Malaysia in SEA Games jailed for defaulting on NS obligations

Lim Ching Hwang left Singapore in July 2015 and failed to report for his enlistment later that year.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Dominic Low

9 FEB 2021

SINGAPORE - A Singapore permanent resident who represented Malaysia in swimming in various South-east Asia (SEA) Games over the last decade was sentenced on Tuesday (Feb 9) to eight weeks' jail for defaulting on his national service (NS) obligations.

Malaysian Lim Ching Hwang, 24, left Singapore in July 2015 and failed to report for his enlistment in November that year.

He only returned almost three years later in June 2018 and enlisted in April 2019.

On Tuesday, Lim pleaded guilty to two charges under the Enlistment Act, with another charge taken into consideration during sentencing by District Judge Ronald Gwee.
A search shows that Lim swam for the Malaysian team in the SEA Games in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

The court heard that he came to Singapore to study at the Singapore Sports School in 2010. He was granted permanent residency status on March 4, 2014.

In May 2014, he received a notice to register for NS but was also offered a scholarship by a private entity to pursue university studies in the United States from September that year.

Lim was later granted deferment from NS to pursue diploma studies at Republic Polytechnic. But he did not complete his studies and left the country in July 2014.
His family subsequently tried to apply for deferment for him to pursue his university studies but were unsuccessful.

"This was because the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) does not usually grant deferment for university studies," said Deputy Public Prosecutor R. Arvindren.

Lim's family continued to apply for deferment in late 2014 and 2015, but did not come up with the required bond for an exit permit to be issued to him.

In February 2015, the authorities informed Lim's father that his son was to book a date to undergo medical screening in preparation for his enlistment.

Lim later returned to Singapore on June 2, 2015.

"The accused admitted that he had complied with his medical screening... because he was worried that he would not be able to enter Singapore for the 2015 (SEA) Games... due to his Enlistment Act offences," said DPP Arvindren.

But he left Singapore and returned to the US on July 7 that year, and continued to apply for deferment from NS.

He later told his family that he wanted to renounce his permanent residency status as he was unhappy that his deferment was not granted.

The court heard that Lim failed to report for his enlistment in November 2015.

He eventually returned to Singapore in June 2018 after completing his university studies.

He enlisted in April of 2019 and completed his NS on Feb 2 this year.

On Tuesday, Lim told the court that he deeply regrets his actions and has decided to remain in Singapore. He also intends to apply for Singapore citizenship in the future.

His sentence has been deferred to Feb 23.

Lim's case brings the number of NS defaulters to 17 since the High Court set out the sentencing framework for such defaulters in 2017.

It would be unfair to the vast majority of national servicemen who serve their country dutifully, if Singaporeans or permanent residents who are overseas are allowed to evade NS or choose when they want to serve it, said Mindef in an earlier statement.

 

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#37

Ex-chief priest of Sri Mariamman Temple charged with misappropriating $2 million in jewellery

Indian national Kandasamy Senapathi is said to have committed the offences between 2016 and last year.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

16 FEB 2021

SINGAPORE - The former chief priest of Sri Mariamman Temple in South Bridge Road has been hauled to court over allegations that he misappropriated multiple pieces of jewellery from the Hindu place of worship.

Indian national Kandasamy Senapathi, 37, was on Tuesday (Feb 16) charged with five counts each of criminal breach of trust and dealing with the benefits of his alleged criminal activities.

He is said to have committed the offences between 2016 and last year.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Janice See said that the pawn value of the jewellery is more than $2 million.

Kandasamy is also accused of removing from Singapore benefits of his alleged ill-gotten gains totalling more than $140,000.

He is said to have remitted the monies to India through financial institutions such as the State Bank of India and the Indian Overseas Bank.

The temple said in a statement last year that gold ornaments are frequently used for prayers.

They are kept in the custody of the chief priest in the inner sanctum of the temple, with regular audits conducted to ensure that the ornaments are physically accounted for.

A spokesman for Sri Mariamman Temple said the items were discovered missing during the last audit in 2020.

The chief priest was then questioned. The missing items were subsequently returned.

"As it appeared that an offence (had) been committed, a police report was lodged notwithstanding the fact that the temple suffered no loss," added the spokesman.

The Hindu Endowments Board told The Straits Times on Tuesday that Kandasamy was terminated from his post after the temple discovered the loss.

He has been on a special pass here since.

Defence lawyer Mohan Das Naidu told the court that Kandasamy has made full restitution.

His bail was set at $100,000 and his case has been adjourned to March 15.

For each count of criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined.

And for each count of dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000.

 

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#38

Last 4 members of unlawful 12-person gathering on Lazarus Island fined $3,000 each

The group took a ferry to St John's Island at about 11am on Aug 8 last year, before walking to the beach at Lazarus Island.
PHOTO: ST FILE

Jean Iau

24 FEB 2021

SINGAPORE - The last four members of a 12-person group who spent a day on Lazarus Island last year in breach of Covid-19 rules were fined $3,000 each on Wednesday (Feb 24).

British nationals Helen Ann Sullivan, 31; Joshua Adam Roth, 31; James Riby Oram Trimming, 31; and Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull, 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of meeting others for a non-permitted purpose and without reasonable excuse under the Covid-19 regulations.

The other eight people were earlier fined $3,000 each. They are William Edwin Dunford, 32; Richard Henri Lagesse, 31; Lowri Mair Jeffs, 31; Zoe Louise Cronk, 30; Jeff Richard Alexander, 32; Luong Thi Thu Ha, 31; Natalie Joanna Sarkies, 29 and Paul Jonathon Gold, 32.

All of them are British except for Sarkies, who is Singaporean, and Ha, who is Vietnamese.

Their trip took place during phase two of Singapore's reopening, when only groups of up to five people were allowed to meet outside their homes for social purposes.

The court heard that at about 11am on Aug 8 last year, the group took a ferry to St John's Island, before walking to the beach at Lazarus Island. They spent the day there before taking a ferry back to mainland Singapore at about 6pm.

Lazarus Island is located south of the Singapore mainland and a man-made causeway connects it to St John's Island.

Sarkies posted photos of the trip on Instagram and the trip was reported on various media platforms.

Sullivan, Roth and Lee-Bull were represented by lawyer Shafiuddin Ong who originally represented Trimming as well, but he was discharged.


Trimming represented himself and expressed remorse for his actions.

Mr Ong said his clients were sorry for their actions and "with the benefit of hindsight, realise the severity of their actions".

He asked that the fines be reduced from the sentences in cases cited by prosecution which occurred during the circuit breaker period, since the gathering happened during phase two of Singapore's reopening.

However, deputy public prosecutor Timotheus Koh reiterated that there should be no difference in the sentencing of offences committed during and after the circuit breaker as the regulations still serve the common purpose of "guard(ing) against outbreak of Covid-19".

District Judge Ong Luan Tze agreed with the prosecution and added that it was "fair and appropriate" for the four accused to receive the same sentence as the previous eight.

For breaching a Covid-19 regulation, they could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000 or both.

 

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#39

Two people who took part in unlawful gathering on pleasure craft fined $3,000 each

Mark Lau San Mao (left) and Amy Grace Ropner arriving at State Courts, on March 1, 2021.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

1 MAR 2021


SINGAPORE - Two people who breached Covid-19 rules when they took part in an unlawful gathering on a pleasure craft on Dec 26 last year were each fined $3,000 on Monday (March 1).

Briton Amy Grace Ropner, 28, and Singapore permanent resident Mark Lau San Mao, 30, were the first two people to be dealt with in court for being part of the event.
They pleaded guilty to an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.

The cases involving eight other Britons - Annabelle Morgan Duke, 26; Philip Edward Knatchbull Holmes, 27; Mark Alexander Bellamy, 29; Amy Georgina Hunt, 30; Thomas Cuthbert Williams-Jones, 30; Oliver Francis William Campbell, 31; Benjamin David Waters, 32 and Amy Alexandra Stewart, 32 - are still pending.

At that time of the incident, social gatherings were limited to five persons.

Pictures and videos of the Boxing Day gathering on the pleasure craft named Advant near Lazarus Island were earlier posted on social media.

They showed a group of merrymakers dancing without masks.

In a statement on Jan 23, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the Advant's licence would be suspended for 30 days.

It added: "MPA reminds all pleasure craft owners and operators to adhere strictly to the safe management plan they have submitted for their business operations, and play their part to keep the Covid-19 situation under control in Singapore.

"MPA takes a very serious view of any breach of safe management measures and will not hesitate to take the parties involved to task."

First-time offenders who breach laws under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.

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

 

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#40
Married man jailed 6 years, caned for sexually assaulting drunk woman at Yishun karaoke lounge
By LOUISA TANG
Published MARCH 02, 2021


SINGAPORE — While singing and drinking at a karaoke lounge, Li Jie seized the opportunity to pin his drunk acquaintance down on a couch and sexually assault her.

On Tuesday (March 2), the 31-year-old work permit holder was sentenced to six years’ jail and three strokes of the cane.

His sentence was backdated to Sept 16 last year, when he was first remanded.

The Chinese national and machine operator was aged 28 when he committed the offence on Aug 26, 2018.

He had met the victim, a permanent resident also aged 28 at the time, on the online dating application Tantan about a week before that.

They then chatted on WeChat and met for beer at a coffee shop though nothing untoward happened then.

READ ALSO
Man admits raping unconscious woman in Downtown East chalet room on friends’ encouragement
On the night of the offence, she had invited Li for drinks at a Yishun coffee shop.

The pair shared about four bottles of beer there before going to a karaoke lounge nearby, where they booked a room and began singing.

The victim, an auditor who cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity, grew increasingly intoxicated after consuming a relatively large amount of alcohol through the course of the night.

The court heard that sometime between midnight and 1.50am, Li pinned her down on a couch in the room.

She then felt something protruding against her thigh near her private parts.

Having surmised that he was trying to have sex with her, she struggled but he was too strong for her and continued to pin her down.

READ ALSO
Jail for man who molested drunk woman at staircase landing, caught by biker who traced them
She tried to shout for help and pressed the service call button on the karaoke controller but no one responded.

Li then reached beneath her dress and sexually assaulted her.

Her level of alcohol intoxication “significantly impeded her ability to physically resist (Li’s) sexual advances”, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Winston Man told the court.

Li eventually let her go when she told him she needed to use the toilet urgently. She then went to the lounge’s service counter and called the police, saying someone had tried to rape her.

Police officers arrived at about 1.55am. One of them observed that she was crying and behaving hysterically, and was also too traumatised to speak coherently.

She soon calmed down and reiterated what Li had done to her. He was arrested at the scene.

The police later referred the victim to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where she was found to have suffered some superficial scratches on her cheek and arms, as well as bruises on her upper thigh, knees, arm and hand.

In mitigation, Li’s lawyer Chung Ting Fai said that his client is married with two young children.

The lawyer also argued that the assault was not premeditated and Li had not used gratuitous violence on the victim.

For sexual assault by penetration, Li could have been jailed up to 20 years, and fined or caned.

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...on0ET1ng--noR6qojlM0hCz3zrsfOdbJvq-tXBwFCGNxs

 

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#31 continued

Briton who molested toddler at learning centre sentenced to jail and caning

Richard Christopher Monks pleaded guilty last month to outraging the toddler's modesty in his class on Oct 20, 2018.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

3 MAR 2021

SINGAPORE - A Briton who molested a three-year-old girl when he was working as a reading specialist at a learning centre here was sentenced on Wednesday (March 3) to 18 months in jail and three strokes of the cane.

Richard Christopher Monks, now 29, pleaded guilty last month to outraging the toddler's modesty in his class on Oct 20, 2018.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage taken from the classroom and played in court in February showed him rearranging some chairs for a video-watching session around 5.20pm that day.

There were six children in the classroom at the time and the victim was the youngest.

The others were between four and five years old.

Aware that there was a camera installed in one corner of the classroom, recording footage from a certain angle, Monks positioned himself behind the children so that he was directly opposite the CCTV camera.

As a result, the children's upper bodies blocked the camera's view of his hands.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Hsiao Tien had earlier said that the lower half of the pupils' bodies could not be captured from such an angle.

From the footage, Monks was seen positioning himself behind the victim as he played a video on his mobile phone.

The children then leaned over a table to view the phone screen.

The footage showed Monks repeatedly lifting the victim's pink dress and caressing her buttocks with his left hand.

She turned around repeatedly to look at him while he committed the offence.

Monks was also seen using his right hand to hold another mobile phone close to the victim's buttocks, pointing it up her skirt.

The DPP added: "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."

The offence came to light on Oct 27, 2018 as the girl's parents were preparing to take her to the learning centre for lessons but the child was reluctant to go.

When asked why, she said that "teacher Richard", had "touched her" and pointed to her buttocks.

Her mother alerted the police later that day and stopped sending her daughter to the centre.

Police arrested Monks on Nov 1, 2018, shortly after he returned to Singapore from a trip to Thailand.

For molesting a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined or caned.

 

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#41

Man jailed for slashing ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend with a chopper

Photo illustration of a man holding a knife. (File photo: AFP)
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
05 Mar 2021

SINGAPORE: Angered that his ex-girlfriend brought her new boyfriend to the flat the former couple shared, a man attacked his rival with a chopper, saying in Cantonese: "Snatch my girlfriend, chop you to death."

In the scuffle, he wounded his ex-girlfriend's sister as well when she tried to step in to stop the assault.

Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident Cheng Hui Sang, 39, was given a year's jail on Friday (Mar 5) for his crimes.

He pleaded guilty to a charge each of voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a chopper and voluntarily causing hurt with the same weapon. A third charge of criminal intimidation was considered in sentencing.

The court heard that Cheng dated a 36-year-old Malaysian woman and stayed with her in the same room in a flat in Ang Mo Kio.

The woman broke up with Cheng in November 2018, but they continued staying together in the same flat. However, she began sharing a room with her sister instead.

HIS EX BROUGHT BACK HER NEW BOYFRIEND

In the early hours of Aug 28, 2020, Cheng's ex-girlfriend brought her new boyfriend - a 36-year-old Malaysian - to the flat.

He slept in the room with the two sisters until about 5am. Cheng's ex-girlfriend left the room to fetch her boyfriend's slippers, but the sound woke Cheng, who saw her placing the footwear near the main door.

Suspecting that she had brought a man home, Cheng grew angry and drank a can of beer, before throwing the victim's slippers into the washing machine.

After downing a second beer, Cheng grabbed a chopper from the sink and placed it on the living room sofa.
When his ex-girlfriend came out of her room, Cheng confronted her and they began quarrelling.

When the woman tried returning to her room, Cheng stopped her while holding the chopper, before rushing into the room.

He began shouting at the woman's new boyfriend and slashing his upper body with the weapon in the dark. When the woman's sister woke up and saw the ongoing attack, she tried to push the two men apart.

Cheng continued his onslaught, despite knowing his ex-girlfriend's sister was in front of him. He did not stop despite the women's pleas, and only relented when he was restrained.

The ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend were taken to the hospital. The man suffered lacerations on his palms and head as well as scratches on his arm.

The sister of Cheng's ex-girlfriend sustained a long and deep 6cm laceration exposing the muscle of her forearm. She was given 42 days of hospitalisation leave.
The prosecutor asked for at least a year's jail, while the defence requested probation, pointing to Cheng's adjustment disorder.

The judge said probation was inappropriate as Cheng is an adult offender who has not demonstrated an extremely strong propensity for reform or exceptional circumstances.

His actions were a conscious and intentional response to feelings of jealousy, hurt and anger when he realised his ex-girlfriend had brought home another man, said the judge.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a weapon, Cheng could have been sentenced either to life imprisonment, or jailed for up to 15 years, fined, caned, or given a combination of these penalties.

 

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#42

Man fined for having sex with masseuse in massage parlour during Phase 1 of Singapore's COVID-19 reopening

Ma Changjin (left) at the State Courts on Mar 9, 2021. (Photo: Calvin Oh)
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
09 Mar 2021

SINGAPORE: A man was fined S$2,000 by a court on Tuesday (Mar 9) for breaking COVID-19 laws when he left his home during Phase 1 of Singapore's reopening to have sex and a massage in a shop in Chinatown.

China national Ma Changjin, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of meeting with co-accused Zhang Shaohui, 52, at a shop in People's Park Centre on the afternoon of Jun 13, 2020, for sex and a body massage.

Another two charges - of not wearing a mask and for leaving his house - were considered in sentencing.

The court heard that Singapore was fighting the spread of COVID-19 at the time of the offences in June 2020. Under the law, individuals could not meet each other for unpermitted social purposes at the time.

The court heard that Ma arranged with Zhang to meet her for massage and sexual intercourse for an undisclosed sum.

He went to Zhang's massage establishment at 101 Upper Cross Street at about 2pm, where they talked before proceeding to have sex.

The encounter lasted about 15 minutes, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Jason Chua. While they were having sex, the police arrived to conduct an enforcement check on massage establishments.

They caught both Ma and Zhang - who is set to plead guilty to her involvement in April.

The prosecutor asked for a fine of S$2,000, saying that he took into account the fact that "it was brief", lasting for about "15 minutes but interrupted by police".

There were only two people in the meeting, he said.

Defence lawyer Arthur Quay said this was Ma's first brush with the law and he has learned his lesson. He added he would not repeat his mistake and asked for leniency.
The judge noted that Ma is supporting a family back in China and has not committed any offence in the more than 10 years that he has been in Singapore.

For breaking a COVID-19 regulation, he could have been jailed up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

 

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#43

Woman who invented beauty packages and cheated people of over $630k in Singapore jailed

The victims handed at least $269,992.82 to Ong Siok Yong, and the remainder to the two companies.
PHOTO: ST FILE

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

MAR 17, 2021

SINGAPORE - While working for a weight-loss firm and a skincare company, a woman invented beauty packages - which the two businesses did not offer - and cheated 24 victims of more than $630,000.

Of the total amount cheated, the victims handed at least $269,992.82 to Ong Siok Yong, and the remainder to the two companies.

Ong, 35, who was in remand, was sentenced on Wednesday (March 17) to four years' jail after pleading guilty to two cheating charges. The court heard that the Malaysian committed the offences from 2016 to 2019.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Joshua Lim said that, among other things, Ong invented a "model package" while working for weight-loss firm Bottom Slim in 2016.
She introduced it to customers she was more familiar with, varying the price and terms depending on their spending power.

In January 2017, she started working for skincare firm Asian Skin Solution where she continued offering the "model package" to customers.


Citing one victim, the DPP said that Ong introduced it to her in 2018.

As part of the terms, the woman was told that she had to use the company's treatment services at least twice a month and regular photographs would be taken to document her "progress".

The woman was also told that she had to pay the firm about $24,000 to sign up for the package. Ong then claimed that the firm would pay the victim monthly reimbursements of $1,166.60 for 36 consecutive months, totalling $41,997.60.

The DPP said that to continue with the scam, Ong used cash received from her victims to pay for the monthly reimbursements.

The unsuspecting victim agreed to sign up for the "model package". Between Aug 18 and Sept 3, 2018, she transferred more than $23,000 to Ong's personal bank account as the con woman claimed that her employer did not have one.

The victim did not receive her reimbursements after August 2018 and instead received intermittent payments of up to $1,000. In October that year, Ong asked her to sign up for a second "model package".

Ong claimed that payments currently outstanding to the victim would be applied towards this second package, which would then "entitle (her) to more products and treatments".

The woman transferred cash totalling more than $33,000 to Ong's bank account later that year. She continued buying more packages after this, the court heard.

In all, Ong induced the victim to hand over more than $100,000 and reimbursed her about $33,000. The DPP said that Ong cheated the other victims in a similar manner.

The offences came to light after an Asian Skin Solution employee lodged a police report in June 2019, stating that Ong appeared to have cheated some of its customers.

Both Bottom Slim and Asian Skin Solution have since taken measures to mitigate their customers' losses.

DPP Lim told the court: "Though they declined to make any money payments to the customers that the accused had promised, they are in the process of arranging to provide customers with treatments and products to compensate them for their investment.

"They have also reimbursed some customers for transfers which were made to the company."

An offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each count of cheating.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#44

Man jailed, fined $276k for evading GST for goods imported

David Sun

MAR 22, 2021

SINGAPORE - A man who evaded paying goods and services tax (GST) was jailed for five weeks and fined $275,860.

Zhao Kun, 38, the director of Maxtech Plus and sole proprietor of Vam International Group, pleaded guilty earlier this month to five charges of evading GST, falsifying documents and giving false information to Singapore Customs.

He was sentenced on Monday (March 22), with four similar charges taken into consideration.

The Singapore PR under-declared the value of goods imported by Maxtech and Vam between 2016 and 2018, evading about $64,200 in GST.

He told an employee from Vam to use suppressed values of goods when taking up the import permits from the Singapore Customs.

Zhao also provided falsified documents and false information to officers on multiple occasions.


In December 2016, he learnt that Maxtech would be audited, and so falsified 95 delivery orders and 29 purchase orders with suppressed values.

He gave these documents to Sin Chuan Chew, 41, the then co-director of Maxtech, who submitted the documents to Customs.

Sin was fined $7,000 in June last year.

In May 2017, Customs officers found receipts which suggested that the value of some goods had been under-declared, following an inspection of goods consigned to Maxtech.

Zhao then told an employee from Vam to falsify an invoice with an inflated quantity of goods and at lower value in an attempt to cover up his offences.

In October 2017, Zhao was questioned by a Customs officer about the under-declaration of the value of goods imported by Maxtech.

But Zhao lied by claiming that an overseas freight forwarder was responsible.

Further investigations, however, uncovered his lies and falsification of the documents.

Under the Customs Act, any person involved in evading or attempts to evade GST may be fined up to 20 times the amount evaded.

Those caught falsifying documents or abetting such activities may be jailed for up to a year, or fined up to $10,000, or both.

Any person who knowingly gives false information may be jailed for up to a year or fined up to $5,000 or both.

Anyone with information on smuggling activities or GST evasion should call the Singapore Customs hotline at 1800-233-0000, or e-mail [email protected] to report these illegal activities.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#45

Jail for 2 men who molested underage boys in unrelated incidents

Malaysian Clement Tan Jun Yan (left) targeted four boys and Singaporean Mohamed Taha Ahmad molested one.
ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

APR 1, 2021

SINGAPORE - Two men - one aged 21 and the other 60 - were sentenced to jail on Thursday (April 1) for molesting underage boys in unrelated incidents.

The offences involved Malaysian Clement Tan Jun Yan, who targeted four boys, and Singaporean Mohamed Taha Ahmad, who molested one.

Tan, 21, will spend 18 months behind bars after pleading guilty to two counts of molestation involving two boys. Two similar charges linked to the other victims were considered during sentencing.

The court heard that Tan was at Yishun Bus Interchange at around 9pm on Aug 2 last year when he spotted a 15-year-old boy and took a liking to him.

The pair later boarded the same bus, alighted near a block of flats in Yishun and entered a lift.

Tan molested the boy as the latter was exiting the lift and he left the vicinity soon after.

The boy told his parents about the attack and his mother alerted the police the next day. Officers arrested Tan on Aug 5 last year.

He was out on bail when he molested a 13-year-old boy who was on his way to school on bus service 812 at around 7am on Oct 23 last year.

The teenager later told his form teacher about what had happened, the court heard.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Niranjan Ranjakunalan told the court on Thursday that Tan had admitted to having "sexual interest" towards "young males who are mainly in the secondary school age group".

Tan, who was unrepresented, told the court that he was unable to control his sexual desires owing to his "stress" at work. His occupation was not revealed in court documents.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#46

Employment pass holder jailed 4 weeks, fined for molesting, harassing colleague who spoke no English
By LOUISA TANG
Published APRIL 01, 2021

• Dhandhayutham Ezhilan’s victim had just arrived in Singapore from Vietnam to work as a cleaner. He sent her numerous text messages, left her food in her locker, and waited outside a toilet one evening before molesting her.
• Dhandhayutham Ezhilan took a liking to a Vietnamese cleaner who had just arrived in Singapore
• He sent her text messages saying he missed her and wanted to see her
• One evening, he waited outside a women’s toilet and molested her
• His employment pass has since been terminated

SINGAPORE — The Vietnamese woman who worked at his company spoke no English, but Dhandhayutham Ezhilan began taking a personal interest in her.

He would leave food in her locker and send her numerous text messages saying that he missed her and wanted to see her, often translated by computer from English to Vietnamese.

Eventually, he molested her outside a women’s toilet she had just cleaned.

On Thursday (April 1), Ezhilan, 48, was sentenced to four weeks’ jail and a fine of S$8,000 for his actions.

The Indian national pleaded guilty to one charge each of molestation and possessing obscene videos in his mobile phone. He was given a discharge amounting to an acquittal for a second outrage of modesty charge.

His employment pass was terminated after the Vietnamese woman reported what had happened.

At the time of his offences last year, he was working as an assistant operations manager and was one of the 21-year-old victim’s superiors. Her immediate supervisor reported to him.

She and their workplace cannot be identified due to a court gag order to protect her identity.

The court heard that they met on the same day she arrived in Singapore from Vietnam — March 2 last year. She spoke only Vietnamese and began work as a cleaner.

Ezhilan soon began sending her work schedule directly to her over messaging platform WhatsApp, even though it was the normal practice for her immediate supervisor to do so.

The first time she received food in her locker, she asked her team whether any of them had given it to her and they suggested Ezhilan had done so.

She confirmed her suspicions over the next few days when he frequently asked her if she liked the food. But she did not eat it as she considered him a stranger, and gave the food to her colleagues instead.

Ezhilan would also send her text messages in English, often followed by computer-translated Vietnamese versions. These included “I miss you a lot”, “I want to see you” and “I wish you yo [sic] be my girl”.

She ignored them and only responded to work-related messages.

WAITED FOR HER OUTSIDE TOILET

On March 30 last year, she was working the overtime shift at a building in the one-north business park.

Sometime between 7pm and 8pm, she was entering a women’s toilet on the ground level when she noticed Ezhilan standing outside the cubicle farthest away from the entrance. He told her he was checking on her work.

Feeling scared, she decided to clean the toilets on the upper levels first but saw him exit and head towards the car park. She then continued cleaning the ground floor toilet.

When she was done, she left and was shocked to see Ezhilan waiting for her outside the toilet.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ian Ernst Chai told the court: “She flinched, swore in Vietnamese at the accused, tried to wave him away using hand gestures, and moved away from the accused.

“However, the accused nonetheless moved quickly towards her and kissed the right side of her forehead with his lips. He then showed her a message in Vietnamese on his phone, asking her to take her time with her work.”

She ran back into the toilet, locked the cubicle door behind her and called her friend, another Vietnamese cleaner. She did not know how to call the Singapore police given that she had barely been here a month.

She stayed in the cubicle for half an hour crying. She then told her supervisors and agent what happened a few days later.

The company conducted an internal investigation and transferred her to another workplace. Ezhilan’s employment pass was also terminated.

She lodged a police report on Aug 21 last year and he was arrested later that evening. The authorities found 50 obscene films in his phone.

For molestation, he could have been jailed for up to two years or fined or caned, or received any combination of the three.

For possessing obscene films, he could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$20,000, or punished with both.

 

[TransparentReminder]

#31 continued

Briton who molested toddler at learning centre sentenced to jail and caning

Richard Christopher Monks pleaded guilty last month to outraging the toddler's modesty in his class on Oct 20, 2018.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

3 MAR 2021

SINGAPORE - A Briton who molested a three-year-old girl when he was working as a reading specialist at a learning centre here was sentenced on Wednesday (March 3) to 18 months in jail and three strokes of the cane.

Richard Christopher Monks, now 29, pleaded guilty last month to outraging the toddler's modesty in his class on Oct 20, 2018.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage taken from the classroom and played in court in February showed him rearranging some chairs for a video-watching session around 5.20pm that day.

There were six children in the classroom at the time and the victim was the youngest.

The others were between four and five years old.

Aware that there was a camera installed in one corner of the classroom, recording footage from a certain angle, Monks positioned himself behind the children so that he was directly opposite the CCTV camera.

As a result, the children's upper bodies blocked the camera's view of his hands.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Hsiao Tien had earlier said that the lower half of the pupils' bodies could not be captured from such an angle.

From the footage, Monks was seen positioning himself behind the victim as he played a video on his mobile phone.

The children then leaned over a table to view the phone screen.

The footage showed Monks repeatedly lifting the victim's pink dress and caressing her buttocks with his left hand.

She turned around repeatedly to look at him while he committed the offence.

Monks was also seen using his right hand to hold another mobile phone close to the victim's buttocks, pointing it up her skirt.

The DPP added: "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."

The offence came to light on Oct 27, 2018 as the girl's parents were preparing to take her to the learning centre for lessons but the child was reluctant to go.

When asked why, she said that "teacher Richard", had "touched her" and pointed to her buttocks.

Her mother alerted the police later that day and stopped sending her daughter to the centre.

Police arrested Monks on Nov 1, 2018, shortly after he returned to Singapore from a trip to Thailand.

For molesting a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined or caned.

A toddler? That's sick! That man deserves to get a spanking in jail everyday.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#47

Man jailed for cheating bank into transferring over $2.39m from a relative's account to his firm

Jean Iau

Apr 8, 2021

SINGAPORE - A former director of an asset management firm would, over a three year period, transfer money from an elderly relative's account to his company by tricking BNP Paribas into believing that he had received instructions from her to do so.

Shen Tsu-kuang, a Taiwanese, would then transfer the funds from his company, Linden Asset Management (Belize), to his private account.

In all, he transferred more than US$1.78 million (S$2.39 million).

Appearing before a district court in shackles on Thursday (April 8), the 52-year-old pleaded guilty to seven charges of cheating and was sentenced to 45 months' jail. Thirty other similar charges were taken into consideration.

The court heard that, at the time of the offences, Shen was a director at Linden Asset Management (Belize) and the company had a corporate bank account with the Singapore branch of BNP Paribas Private Bank.

Some time before September 2009, Shen's aunt-in-law, 74, contacted him for advice on transferring her assets from her bank account to another bank.

Shen advised her to open an account with the BNP Paribas branch and helped her to do so.

His aunt-in-law authorised BNP Paribas to hold all correspondence relating to her account, including statements, advice and notices, on her behalf. This meant that she would not get information on activities and transactions in her account.

She also authorised the bank to get instructions through fax, and signed a Power of Administration which allowed Linden Asset to undertake administrative actions on her behalf. This included furnishing instructions to the bank for transactions authorised by her.

On 35 occasions between 2009 and 2012, Shen sent fraudulent fax instructions, purportedly signed by his aunt-in-law, to the bank to deceive it into believing that she had authorised the transactions.

Funds credited into Linden Asset's bank account were transferred by Shen to his personal account in Taiwan on the same day or within a few days of receipt.
It was not mentioned in court how Shen's offences came to light.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheng Yuxi and Rashvinpal Kaur Dhaliwal urged the court to impose a sentence of at least 44 months, with DPP Cheng calling Shen a "serial offender".

The DPP said the fact that a financial institution was cheated could affect confidence in Singapore's banking industry.

Defence lawyer Adrian Wee pleaded for a 36-month jail sentence, pointing out that Shen had no prior convictions.

Mr Wee added that his client was apprehended when he came to Singapore on a social visit pass in 2019 and was not "on the run".

Principal District Judge Victor Yeo noted that hardly any restitution was made and that Shen's offences were "quite clearly not a momentary lapse of judgement, but premeditated".

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#48
Man kissed woman's hand on train and offered her money to go to Hotel 81, gets jail

Photo illustration of a man committing molest. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
03 Jan 2020

SINGAPORE: A man "looking for girls" found one at a train station and offered her money to spend the night with him before kissing her hand.
For using criminal force on the 24-year-old woman to outrage her modesty, Indian national Meesala Siva Prasad was sentenced to five days' jail on Thursday (Jan 2).

Another charge of causing her distress by offering her S$100 to go to Hotel 81 with him was taken into consideration.
Meesala, a 34-year-old software engineer, had his earlier plea of guilt rejected by a judge as he denied intending to commit the crime, claiming it was part of his culture.
However, he admitted fully to the offences on Thursday under a different judge.
The court heard that Meesala approached the victim at about 10.50pm on Jun 27 last year, while she was walking towards the train at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station.

He asked her how to get to the North East Line and the woman let him follow her there.
On the way, Meesala told the victim that he was looking for girls and she asked him what type he was looking for.
When he asked if she would like to go to Hotel 81, she refused.
They boarded the same train and he told her to spend the night with him, taking out his wallet to offer her money.

Even though the woman rejected him, Meesala took her right hand and kissed it.
This shocked and disgusted the woman, who did not know how to react, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Jotham Tay.
At some point in their conversation, Meesala also asked the woman for her number. She gave it to him out of fear. He called her number to confirm that it was accurate and eventually alighted at Little India.
The prosecutor on Thursday said the case would have normally been met with a fine, but Meesala had been in remand for some time, so he left the sentence to the court.
Meesala wrote a letter to the judge in mitigation, and told the court that he had lost his job because of the offence and had two young daughters and a wife to take care of.
He said this was a big lesson in his life and pleaded for leniency.
The judge agreed that a normal sentence would have been a fine, "but I can't backdate a fine".
She sentenced him to five days' jail and backdated it.
For outraging the victim's modesty, Meesala could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or given any combination of these punishments.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#49

Syndicate member behind S$2.5m cross-border investment scam gets jail, squandered millions at casino

A view of high-rise financial district office buildings from the Marina Bay promenade in Singapore.
(Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
By Lydia Lam@LydiaLamCNA
19 Apr 2021 03:28PM

SINGAPORE: A member of a syndicate linked to S$2.5 million worth of cross-border investment scams, perpetuated via shell companies with fake office fronts at Marina Bay Financial Centre, was given 12 years and one month's jail on Monday (Apr 19).
China national Wei Yong, 44, gambled away most of his criminal proceeds, transacting a total of S$30 million at Singapore's casinos, and was unable to make any restitution.

Wei pleaded guilty to five charges, including cheating and possessing a fake Myanmar passport. Another six charges were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Wei was an odd-job worker in Hubei and Beijing before joining a syndicate sometime in 2015 and 2016. The group came up with a plan in Beijing in 2016 to set up and use shell companies in order to cheat people of their money.
The shell companies included American Ageas PE Fund Inc, Pfizer Private Fund Inc and Nanyang Capital Management.

THE SCAM

The syndicate aimed to deceive high net-worth victims into believing that the shell companies could raise investment funds on behalf of their businesses, by portraying an image that the companies operated in established financial hubs such as the United States and Singapore.
They would ask the victims to transfer administrative fees to facilitate fund-raising and cover associated costs. The victims - who were from China and South Korea - were also invited to attend talks and workshops on finance, investments and business in China, Singapore and the USA.
To reinforce the impression that the shell companies had a credible business presence in Singapore, the victims were flown over and invited to a business office in the Marina Bay Financial Centre in Singapore's Central Business District.
Members of the syndicate, including the accused, would also be dressed professionally and in the office to perpetuate the scam of a legitimate business.

In reality, the group rented meeting locations on an ad-hoc basis to deceive the victims and get them to sign contracts at rented boardrooms, before instructing them to transfer fees via remittance services.
Between March 2017 and July 2019, four victims transferred sums ranging from 930,000 yuan (S$180,000) to 2.6 million yuan (S$500,000) to the syndicate.
After collecting the money, the group members became uncontactable.
Since November 2017, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) received multiple reports about a cross-border investment scam perpetuated by a transnational criminal syndicate based in China. A total of 10 victims based in China lodged 10 police reports with SPF. They lost S$2.5 million in total.

FAKE PASSPORT
In November 2019, the police arrested Wei at Changi Airport and found a fake Myanmar passport on him bearing his photograph. He admitted arranging to buy the passport for 40,000 yuan in early 2019 from a Chinese agent so he could enjoy "benefits" from owning a Myanmar passport, such as buying houses and land in Myanmar at lower prices.
He intended to fly to Myanmar to test if he could re-enter Singapore using the fake passport, but was caught while trying to leave Singapore with his China passport.
Wei said he was a frequent patron of the Marina Bay Sands Casino and the Resorts World Sentosa Casino, gambling away most of his share of the criminal proceeds.
Casino records showed that he transacted S$30 million in Singapore's casinos between May 2015 and November 2019. To date, no restitution has been made, whether by Wei or his accomplices. Some syndicate members are still at large.

"BRAZEN" OPERATION
District Judge Marvin Bay noted the "very considerable planning and premeditation in the brazen financial scam here".
"I note the meticulously planned attempts to inject a veneer of legitimacy that the fictitious companies had a business presence in Singapore included renting lavishly furnished boardrooms in Marina Bay Financial Centre 1 for meetings with and presentations to victims," he said.
"There is a need to deal decisively with syndicate-run scams of this nature."
For each count of cheating, Wei could have been jailed a maximum of 10 years and fined. For possessing a false passport, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to S$10,000.