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[Vultan]

Two men arrested for drugs found in their cars at Tuas and Woodlands Checkpoints

Published on Dec 19, 2014 3:42 PM

Cannabis seized at Woodlands Checkpoint. -- PHOTO: ICA/CNB

By Amir Hussain

SINGAPORE - Two Malaysian men aged 18 and 23 were arrested at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints on Thursday evening, after drugs were found in the cars they were driving into Singapore.

The seized drugs - about 5.9kg of cannabis and 465g of heroin - had an estimated street value of more than $227,000, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in a joint news release on Friday.

ICA officers conducting a routine check on a Malaysia-registered car at Woodlands checkpoint at 7.55pm on Thursday found two blocks in white wrapping, suspected to be cannabis, in the front engine air filter compartment of the car.

CNB officers were then alerted, and a further search of the car uncovered four more blocks, suspected to be cannabis, hidden behind the backrest of the driver and front passenger seats.

The six blocks of suspected cannabis weigh around 5.9 kg and have an estimated street value of more than S$195,000.

Later that evening, at 9.45pm, ICA officers at Tuas Checkpoint conducting a routine check of another Malaysia-registered car found a black bundle in the car's arm rest compartment.

The bundle, suspected to contain about 465g of heroin with an estimated street worth of over S$32,000, was seized and handed over to CNB.

Investigations are ongoing.

If convicted of drug trafficking, both men face the death penalty.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, drug traffickers face the death penalty if the amount of pure heroin, or diamorphine, they bring in exceeds 15g. This is equivalent to 1,250 straws, which is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 180 abusers for a week. Those convicted of trafficking in more than 500g of cannabis may also face death.

 

[Vultan]

Peeping Tom gets three weeks' jail, with marriage plans going up in smoke

Published on Dec 19, 2014 1:07 PM
By Ian Poh

SINGAPORE - On two separate occasions, a driver followed a woman he had spotted on the job into the toilet, and peeped at her from an adjacent stall.

Indian national Kuldip Singh, 27, used his mobile phone to film the first woman changing, but was caught after his second victim discovered him and raised the alarm.

On Friday, the peeping Tom was jailed for three weeks after admitting to criminal trespass and insulting the modesty of his two victims.

The court heard that on Oct 13, Singh had arrived with a colleague at 50 Science Park Road to collect chemical waste.

He followed his victim, a 37-year-old technical writer, into the female toilet but was caught after she spotted him and screamed for help.

Police later discovered a video clip in Singh's phone of someone changing.

Investigations revealed that some time in April, he had filmed an unknown victim in her underwear in a toilet at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana said Singh had "boldly ventured" into the female toilet to intrude on his victims' privacy.

Pleading for leniency, defence counsel Sarbrinder Singh said his client had done a foolish act. The lawyer added Singh was due to be married on Christmas day but the plan was off because of the case.

Singh, who pleaded guilty to two of four charges, could have been jailed for up to three months and fined up to $1,500 for each count of criminal trespass. He faced up to a year in jail and a fine for each count of insulting his victim's modesty.

 

[Vultan]

Teenager scalds flat mate with hot water for not doing chores up to standard

Published on Dec 22, 2014 3:00 PM
By Ian Poh

SINGAPORE - A teenager poured a kettle of hot water on her flat mate for not doing the household chores to her satisfaction.

On three occasions, Chinese national Long Yan also ordered her compatriot to strip naked, snapped pictures, and threatened to circulate them if the victim would not listen.

On Monday, Long, 17, admitted to criminally intimidating and hurting her victim, who was left with first degree burn injuries on her shoulders and back.

The court heard the girls were then both 16 and classmates at a private school here.

They were alone at home on June 7 last year, as five other housemates at the flat in Toh Tuck Road had returned home to China.

Around 9pm, on Long's instructions, the victim did chores such as sweeping and mopping the floor. Unhappy with the work done, Long scolded and hit the victim with her mobile phone.

She then told her to boil some water and say when it was ready. The victim did as asked, but Long then took the kettle and poured its contents over her.

Long also took the nude photographs and threatened her victim on that same day, and each of the two previous days. She had committed the abuse generally on the basis that the victim was not doing various household chores satisfactorily, the court heard.

District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan said Long's offences were serious. But the judge called for a pre-sentence report to determine Long's suitability for probation, in light of her age. Sentence will be passed on Jan 19.

Noting that Long's guardian is in Singapore and will be able to supervise her, Deputy Public Prosecutor Fong Jing Heng did not object to the court's decision.

The maximum penalty for voluntarily causing hurt with a heated substance is seven years in jail, a fine and caning. Criminal intimidation carries up to ten years in jail and a fine, if the threat is to impute unchastity to a woman.

 

[Vultan]

Man admits taking upskirt videos of air stewardesses in Changi Airport toilet

Published on Dec 23, 2014 3:17 PM
By Ian Poh

SINGAPORE - Depressed after the failure of his relationship, an airline services assistant based at Changi Airport went into a female toilet there and took upskirt videos of women on different occasions.

Guo Jinquan, 27, had filmed three women, all air stewardesses, one of whom resembled his former girlfriend. But he was caught after a fourth woman, 29, discovered him and raised the alarm.

On Tuesday, Guo pleaded guilty to two of seven charges against him, with the other charges to be taken into consideration when he is sentenced in January.

These were for offences committed on Nov 30 last year and Jan 31 this year, comprising criminal trespass and insulting the modesty of his victims.

According to court papers, he had taken upskirt videos of his victims from under their cubicle doors. Minutes before being caught, Guo had recorded an unknown victim changing.

Referring to a report from the Institute of Mental Health, defence counsel Tang King Kai said his client has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has had a "severe depressive episode".

A later report said Guo was hearing voices when he committed the offences.

Although the voices had not commanded him to do the acts, Guo was not in a normal state of mind at the time and had not acted rationally, the lawyer said.

Mr Tang said Guo should be spared jail as this would disrupt the treatment he has been seeking for his condition.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ruth Teng disagreed, arguing that Guo would be able to receive treatment while in custody. She pointed out that the reports did not say Guo's condition had directly led him to offend.

He is expected to be sentenced on Jan 27, after District Judge Liew Thiam Leng called for further clarification on his mental state at the time of the offences.

The maximum penalty for criminal trespass is three months in jail and a $1,500 fine, while that for insulting the modesty of a woman is a one year jail term and a fine.

 

[Ambulance]

halo porlumpar hub si boh

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<header>[h=2]Unfair to judge Stange on merely three matches[/h]</header>
I agree with Mr Melvin Tan that continuity is a key factor in determining a football team’s level of success. (“Keep faith with Stange, Lions”; Dec 2)


BY -
DECEMBER 30
I agree with Mr Melvin Tan that continuity is a key factor in determining a football team’s level of success. (“Keep faith with Stange, Lions”; Dec 2)
National coach Bernd Stange has been in the job for less than two years; his ongoing efforts to rebuild the national team with young, talented players deserve our support.
Before the Suzuki Cup, there were calls for the inclusion of veteran players in the squad. It would have been easy for him to accede to the populist demands and be a favourite among the media and fans. The veteran coach stood firm, though, and selected a relatively young team, the majority of whom had been training under him for the past 20 months.
He and his team were minutes away from being hailed by the media and fans, until the referee awarded a penalty in the dying minutes of the clash with Malaysia. Suddenly, it became easy to jump on the bandwagon and criticise him and the Football Association of Singapore.
If we compare our team’s playing performances in the group stage of the 2012 and 2014 editions of the Suzuki Cup, I doubt if we can conclude that we performed worse in the three matches this year. Where then is the objective analysis of Stange’s work in Singapore, not to mention the progress achieved by the FAS in recent years?
To assess either a national coach or federation based merely on the team’s progress in an international competition is unfair and naive. Unlike a club coach, a national coach should be assessed objectively based on various key performance indicators, including the progress in building a strong side.
Likewise, any football federation should be assessed on several key areas, including youth development and governance, instead of its senior team’s performance alone. Stange is right to build a strong team for the 2019 Asian Cup. The likes of Gabriel Quak, Amirul Adli and Zulfahmi Arifin would have benefited from the lessons gained at the Suzuki Cup and will become stronger by the time the Asian Cup qualifications take place in 2017.
In recent years, the FAS has invested a considerable amount of resources in the development of young players, despite the time it will take to yield results. Instead of judging Stange or the FAS based merely on the three Suzuki Cup matches, we should acknowledge the continued progress of our development structure and the fact that our teams in all age groups are now playing the international style of passing football.
As Mr Edmund Khoo argued in his letter “Bring back real fans to lift Lions out of doldrums” (Dec 16), we need real fans and not fair-weather supporters, who cheer only when the Lions do well.

</article>

 

[khunking]

[h=2]TITLE: Security guard jailed for blackmailing teenagers caught having sex[/h] By Yvonne Lim, TODAY
POSTED: 05 Jan 2015 18:38
URL: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/security-guard-jailed-for/1569582.html?cid=TWTCNA

TODAY reports: The security guard had asked for S$1,000 as an initial sum in order not to reveal what he had seen to the police and the couple's parents. SINGAPORE: A security guard has been sentenced to two months in prison for blackmailing a teenage couple, after catching them having sex on the staircase landing of a condominium.
Nagindran Dharmiah, 32, a Singapore permanent resident, worked as a security guard at a condominium on Simei Street. While making his rounds on the night of Mar 31, 2014, he stumbled upon the couple - a girl and her boyfriend, both 19 and whose names have been withheld to protect their identities - having sex and in various states of undress on the 11th floor staircase landing in the 27th block of the condominium, where the girl was a resident.
He accused the boyfriend of trespassing and told the couple that their act had been caught on CCTV camera, and that he would be able to playback the recording by connecting his clocking device which resembled a black torchlight, to the camera. He also took a photo of the couple using his mobile phone. Investigations later revealed that Nagindran had been bluffing and that there was no CCTV camera on the 11th floor.
Nagindran also made threats to call the police and the couple’s parents — to which the pair responded by pleading with him not to do so. He then agreed to break the clocking device if the couple paid him S$1,000 in cash as an initial sum to replace the device.
Afraid that they would get into trouble since Nagindran knew her home address, the girl withdrew the amount and gave it to Nagindran, after which he deleted the photo from his mobile phone and took down her contact number.
The next day, Nagindran sent the girl a text message demanding an additional S$850, claiming that it was the remaining sum to replace the clocking device he had promised to break. He asked her to meet him at Tai Seng MRT station to handover the money. The girl then made a police report. Later that evening, the girl met Nagindran at the MRT station and handed him an envelope containing S$50. He was then arrested by police officers who were at the station.
Nagindran was charged with three counts of aggravated cheating, which each carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, or fine, or both.
However, in delivering the sentence at the State Courts today, District Judge Lim Tze Haw took into consideration that the amount of money involved was small and that this was Nagindran’s first offence.
The judge chastised Nagindran for neglecting his duty as a security guard and for “committing the very crime (he) was supposed to prevent”. He imposed a two-month jail sentence for each charge, to run concurrently starting on Monday (Jan 5), and also ordered for the money to be returned.

 

[Vultan]

Maid poured oil into two packets of breast milk to 'scare' employer

Published on Jan 6, 2015 12:21 PM
By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - Unhappy at being reprimanded by her employer, an Indonesian domestic worker poured some eucalyptus oil into two packets of breast milk to "scare'' her.

The 28-year-old maid was scolded earlier on Aug 23 last year by her 34-year-old female employer for not having done the housework. She was unhappy and hoped the employer would terminate her work permit and repatriate her.

She found a bottle of eucalyptus oil and poured some of it into the breast milk. She sealed up the packets and placed them back in the outermost part of the refrigerator, knowing that her employer would likely to take them out first to feed her two-month-old baby boy.

On Tuesday, the accused pleaded guilty to attempting to administer an unwholesome thing to the baby, knowing it to be likely that she would cause hurt to the infant.

The maid is not being named to protect the identity of the victim.

A district court heard that her employer, a manager, would pump milk from her breast, store them in disposable packets and place them in the fridge. She would feed her baby with two to three packets every day.

The maid was left alone at home when she committed the offence. She was employed on June 2, about three months before.

When the family returned that evening, the victim's mother pumped milk and was intending to top up the packets of breast milk when she opened the first packet and smelt a pungent odour.

Sensing that something was amiss, she decided to check the remaining five packets of milk in the fridge. Another packet had the same pungent smell.

Later that evening, the couple searched the maid's belongings and found a bottle of PurerAire Eucalyptus oil placed on top of a cabinet. They opened the bottle and found that it had the same pungent smell as the packets of breast milk.

They called the police, who came and arrested the accused.

The accused, who was not represented, pleaded for leniency, saying she was remorseful and would not repeat the offence.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Delicia Tan sought a short adjournment to tender precedents.

The accused will be sentenced on Jan 15. She faces up to five years' jail and a fine.

[email protected]

 

[Vultan]

Woman jailed 43 months for multiple offences involving about $450K

Published on Jan 7, 2015 6:27 PM
By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - A woman who abetted her lover to siphon $402,000 from her company to feed his gambling addiction was jailed for 43 months on Wednesday.

Zuo Jing, 31, was a management accountant with sea sand importer Riverton Group in Clementi Loop when she committed multiple offences in which she schemed with Ivan Lim Chin Ping, 30, to cheat, conceal and launder property in 2013 and 2014.

Lim has since been charged, and his case is pending.

Zuo admitted to 12 charges with 16 others taken into consideration.

A district court heard that before this set of offences, she had been in a relationship in 2007 with a chef, Mr Alvin Toh Chi Sian.

They opened a restaurant and held three joint bank accounts in OCBC. But towards the end of the year, they broke up. The restaurant was closed, and both parties took civil action against each other.

Sometime before March 21, 2012, Zuo tried to close the three joint accounts without Mr Toh's knowledge. She wanted to withdraw all the money. But she could not do so without Mr Toh's presence. Toh also refused to close the three accounts.

She then forged his signature on a letter authorising her to close the accounts and induced OCBC to hand over a total of $46,318 to her on March 23 that year.

While on bail for the offence in 2013, she re-offended.

She abetted Lim to siphon money from her employer Riverton and cheat Riverton of 11 cheques amounting to $402,694. The total amount cheated and misappropriated by her for all her charges is $449,012. No restitution had been made to date.

The court backdated Zuo's sentence to Feb 8 last year.

Zuo, who has a two-year-old son with Lim, could have been jailed for up to 10 years for forgery. For abetment of criminal breach of trust, the maximum penalty is 15 years and a fine, and for abetment of cheating, 10 years and a fine.

[email protected]

 

[Vultan]

Three get 20 months' jail for trying to sell fake gold to Singapore businessman

Published on Jan 9, 2015 2:10 PM
By Ian Poh

SINGAPORE - Three Chinese nationals who tried to sell a businessman pieces of bogus gold for $120,000 were on Friday jailed for 20 months each.

Hu Wanli, 37, Liu Aimin, 42, and Zhang Fasheng, 44, told him they had found their treasure in a porcelain urn while digging at a construction site here.

They slipped a strip of real gold into an ingot that had been partially sawed down the middle, retrieved the strip after pretending to cut it in front of their would-be victim, and handed it over for a goldsmith to check.

The strip was verified to be authentic and a final price was later agreed upon. But the businessman had already smelt a rat by the time they returned to his office to complete the transaction. Police turned up and arrested the trio.

 

[Vultan]

Lorry driver jailed and banned for dangerous driving

Published on Jan 9, 2015 1:45 PM
By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - A lorry driver was jailed for one week and banned from driving for a year on Friday for dangerous driving.

Malaysian Rahim Rahman, 39, admitted to dangerous driving by making an unauthorised U-turn against the flow of traffic, hitting motorcyclist Kee Choo Lee who was injured on July 12 last year.

The court head that Rahim was driving on the left lane of the road while the 46-year-old motorcyclist was on the right that day.

When Rahim approached the junction of Woodlands Centre Road, a police officer stopped his lorry and directed him to make a U-turn along Woodlands Road as there was a traffic jam.

 

[Vultan]

15 years' jail, 24 strokes for raping jogger

Selina Lum The Straits Times Monday, Jan 12, 2015

A 47-year-old manager who went for her regular jog along the running track in Bukit Batok Neighbourhood Park was dragged into the bushes and raped one night in 2013.

Yesterday, her assailant, Sinnathamby Ramiah, 41, a steel work supervisor, was jailed for 15 years and ordered to be given 24 strokes of the cane.

The Malaysian had pleaded guilty in the High Court to one count each of aggravated rape, robbery and aggravated outrage of modesty.

Two unrelated charges - of insulting the modesty of a teenager by recording a video of her bathing in the toilet - were taken into consideration.

Sinnathamby had gone to the park on the night of Aug 4, 2013, with two cans of beer. He also had a bag containing cable ties and masking tape which he wanted to use to repair the canvas cover of his motorcycle.

He was seated near the running track and had downed one can of beer when he noticed the victim.

He found the woman, who was wearing a running tank top and shorts, attractive and became sexually aroused.

As she passed him while completing her final round, he grabbed her from behind and used two cable ties over her head and torso to restrain her.

He then dragged her off the track and into the trees and bushes surrounding the park. As she was dragged, one of her shoes came off, causing her heel to suffer abrasions.

Sinnathamby pulled her downhill to a secluded spot where he pinned her down and told her that she looked sexy.

She begged him to let her go home to her child but he threatened her, told her not to shout and said it would be over soon.

After raping her, he took her iPhone and left the scene.

Her daughter called the police after finding out what had happened.

Sinnathamby's identity was later established when he tried to access the iPhone.

In a victim impact statement read in court, the woman said the incident changed her perspective about the safety of Singapore. Now, she does not dare to walk alone at night, feels scared while waiting for the lift and has nightmares of someone grabbing her.

"I used to think Singapore is a very safe place and such things would not happen here."

 

[Ambulance]

halo yin dor jiu hu long zong sama sama ah

Sinnathamby pulled her downhill to a secluded spot where he pinned her down and told her that she looked sexy.

 

[Vultan]

Dutchman jailed 50 months for having and using fake euros

Published on Jan 14, 2015 4:54 PM
By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - The long arm of the law caught up with a Dutch national, who was given 50 months' jail on Wednesday for having and using fake euro notes in Singapore more than a decade ago.

Travel agent Amarnath Jagmohan, 53, skipped town in May 2003 after he was charged and released on bail. An arrest warrant was issued in November that year when he failed to show up for a pre-trial conference.

He was arrested in Trinidad and Tobago on Jan 30, 2013. He resisted extradition and was eventually brought back here to face the music last June.

He admitted to using fake euros in 50 and 200 denominations to exchange for $8,978 at a moneychanger in Arab Street on May 21, 2003.

He also pleaded guilty to having fake euros in various denominations at Victoria Street the same day.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhamad Imaduddien said Amarnath, who owned a travel agency in the Netherlands, came to Singapore supposedly to meet local operators and see hotels to arrange for tour group packages.

But he had no documents or business cards when he arrived in Singapore on May 21, 2003. He also did not contact or make any appointments with any local tour operators before his arrival.

He was arrested and charged in May that year. He jumped bail and the police later applied for an Interpol red notice to be issued against him.

On Jan 24, 2013, the Commercial Affairs Department was informed by Interpol Port of Spain that Amarnath had entered the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago earlier that day.

He was arrested six days later. Extradition proceedings were successful and he was brought back to Singapore on June 2 last year.

Lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan said his client did not know that the bank notes in question were counterfeit. He had withdrawn the money from his bank and left them in a safe in his office. He claimed that his client's business partner, Rupesh, must have switched the currency he had left in the safe with fake money.

Amarnath, who had his sentence backdated to Jan 30, 2013, could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined on each charge.

[email protected]

 

[Vultan]

Cyclist charged with throwing bike at car after honking incident

Published on Jan 14, 2015 12:13 PM

Canadian Jason Blair Unger, 39, allegedly threw the bicycle on the bonnet of Mr Woo Wing Onn's car on Selegie Road on the morning of Oct 17 last year. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - A cyclist who allegedly threw his bike at a car after believing its driver was honking his horn at him was charged in court with mischief on Wednesday.

Canadian Jason Blair Unger, 39, allegedly threw the bicycle on the bonnet of Mr Woo Wing Onn's car on Selegie Road on Oct 17 last year.

Dents and scratches were caused to the front part of the vehicle, resulting in damage costing about $2,220.

 

[Vultan]

Convicted murderer fails to escape gallows a second time

Published on Jan 14, 2015 12:01 PM

Prosecutors had argued for Kho to be given the death penalty, in the first appeal against a High Court judge's decision to re-sentence a murderer to life in jail. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

By Selina Lum

SINGAPORE - A convicted murderer who was sentenced to death in 2010, then given a reprieve with a life sentence in 2013, has failed to escape the gallows a second time.

A five-man Court of Appeal gave a split 3-2 decision on Wednesday in favour of sentencing 30-year-old rag and bone man Jabing Kho, from Sarawak, to death.

Prosecutors had argued for Kho to be given the death penalty, in the first appeal against a High Court judge's decision to re-sentence a murderer to life in jail.

In 2008, Kho beat a Chinese construction worker to death with a tree branch. Mr Cao Ruyin, 40, was robbed of his mobile phone and died from brain injuries six days later.

In 2010 Kho and his accomplice Galing Kujat, 32, were convicted of murder and sentenced to the then-mandatory death penalty. Kho's appeal against conviction was rejected the following year while Kujat's was allowed.

Instead of murder, Kujat - also from Malaysia - was convicted of robbery with hurt and he was later sentenced to 18 and a half years and 19 strokes of the cane.

But after revised laws came into effect in 2013, making the death penalty mandatory only for the most serious form of murder, Kho's lawyer Anand Nalachandran applied for him to be re-sentenced.

In August 2013, the High Court gave Kho a life term instead.

The prosecution challenged this decision and its appeal was heard by a rare five-man Court of Appeal last year.

The court gave its decision on Wednesday, revealing the 3-2 split.

The majority said that, in light of the "sheer savagery and brutality" of the attack, they were "completely satisfied" that Kho "exhibited a blatant disregard for human life in the way he attacked the deceased".

The minority, however, said that even though Kho's blows would have been of considerable force, it was unsafe to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he acted in a way which showed a blatant disregard for human life.

[email protected]

 

[Ambulance]

halo ah zua ah neh buay gway mia kio aye lawn der yewroh

Dutchman jailed 50 months for having and using fake euros

Published on Jan 14, 2015 4:54 PM
By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - Travel agent Amarnath Jagmohan, 53, skipped town in May 2003 after he was charged and released on bail. An arrest warrant was issued in November that year when he failed to show up for a pre-trial conference.

 

[Vultan]

Malaysian paedophile caught in Singapore

The Straits Times Monday, Jan 19, 2015

PETALING JAYA - A 31 year-old Ma**laysian engineer pleaded guilty in a Singapore court to sexually preying on 31 boys aged between 11 and 15 in a case the prosecution described as the worst of its kind in the island republic.

Yap Weng Wah pleaded guilty on Friday to 12 charges of sexual penetration of a minor, The Straits Times reported.

Another 64 charges - 63 for sexual penetration of a minor and one for procuring a child to commit an indecent act - will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Yap, a quality assurance engineer who came to work in Singapore in 2009, befriended the boys on Facebook using different personas, chatted with them on the social networking site and later persuaded them to meet him.

Between November 2009 and June 2012, he persuaded 30 of the boys into consenting to engage in sexual acts with him at places such as his flat, toilet cubicles in shopping centres and swimming complexes, hotel rooms and a public park.

Yap also recorded the acts on his mobile phone. He stored the footage in his laptop, meticulously catalogued in folders indicating each boy's name, age and year they met.

After their first sexual encounter with Yap, some of the victims continued to meet him and engage in sexual acts with him, either because they enjoyed his company as a friend, were worried he may spread the footage or were themselves sexually curious.

Police who raided his home after one of the victims made a report found more than 2,000 video clips on his laptop.

The case was adjourned for further arguments on the appropriate sentence to be imposed.

DPP David Khoo sought at least 30 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane.

Yap's two younger siblings and mother live in Ipoh while his father moved to New Zealand when he was eight years old.

His lawyer Daniel Koh said in his plea for leniency that when Yap was 12 years old, he had a nine-month sexual relationship with a male teacher. Due to a lack of a father figure, he thought these were acts of intimacy and love, he said.

 

[Vultan]

Ex-footballer admits to abetting in conspiracy to fix match and cheat S'pore Pools

Published on Jan 19, 2015 12:14 PM

Thanasegar S. Sinnaiah, 40, (above) schemed with Singaporean Selvarajan Letchuman to give a bribe of not more than RM15,000 (S$5,590) to Football Association of Malaysia part-time referee Shokri Nor, 50, to ensure that the Lions XII beat Sarawak FA in a match to be played in Singapore on May 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: ST FILE

By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - A former Malaysian national footballer who absconded about three years ago after being charged with conspiracy to fix a Malaysia Super League (MSL) soccer game pleaded guilty on Monday.

Thanasegar S. Sinnaiah, 40, was nabbed again last August. The businessman, who faced eight charges, admitted to four in a district court.

He schemed with Singaporean Selvarajan Letchuman to give a bribe of not more than RM15,000 (S$5,590) to Football Association of Malaysia part-time referee Shokri Nor, 50, to ensure that the Lions XII beat Sarawak FA in a match to be played in Singapore on May 22, 2012.

That day, Selvarajan, 52, placed six bets with Singapore Pools with part of the earnings to be used as a bribe to be paid to Shokri, but the offence was not committed.

Thanasegar also conspired with Selvarajan and Shokri to conceal that arrangements had been made to "fix" the outcome of the match, in a bid to induce Singapore Pools to hand over payouts of $10,500 and $5,000 to Selvarajan. These were for bets he placed with an outlet near Rangoon Road and at Rowell Road respectively.

A district court heard that Thanasegar received a phone call in Kedah from Selvarajan on May 18 in 2012.

Selvarajan asked if he had any tips for the football match between Lions XII and Sarawak FA in the MSL to be played in Singapore on May 22. Thanasegar informed Selvarajan that Shokri, then a policeman, was the referee for the match.

Selvarajan travelled to Penang and met the pair in a hotel where the alleged conspiracy to fix the match was hatched.

But all three were arrested before the football match kicked off.

While Thanasegar was out on $50,000 bail, he left Singapore illegally by hiding in the boot of a car. He thus committed an offence of failing to present his passport to an immigration officer for examination sometime in July that year.

Thanasegar's case has been adjourned to Feb 17.

Selvarajan's case is pending while police are still looking for Shokri, who had also absconded.

 

[Vultan]

Jail, caning for man who vandalised SMRT pillar with pro-Falungong messages

Published on Jan 20, 2015 5:26 PM
By Ian Poh

SINGAPORE - A Chinese national who vandalised the pillar of an MRT viaduct with pro-Falungong messages was sentenced to two months in jail and six strokes of the cane on Tuesday.

Gao Bin, 21, used a black marker to write on the pillar along Geylang East Ave 1: "Fa Lun Da Fa is good. Chinese communist party is going to fall, faster leave the party, to save yourselves".

The message, written in Chinese on Aug 21 last year, included what appeared to be a mobile phone number. It cost rail operator SMRT $300 to repair the damage caused.

Gao's sentence also includes punishment for a similar offence committed a week later, this time on a control box along Lorong 22 Geylang that belonged to the Land Transport Authority.

 

[Vultan]

Lorry driver fined $8,500 and banned from driving for causing rider's death

Published on Jan 20, 2015 5:31 PM
By Elena Chong

SINGAPORE - A lorry driver who caused the death of a motorcyclist through his negligence was fined $8,500 and banned from driving for five years on Tuesday.

Paramasivam Bharathi, 46, an Indian national, admitted to failing to give way to Mr Lim Shung Ren, 28, when making a right turn from Sungei Kadut Street 2 into Sungei Kadut Street 1.

He encroached into the rider's path, and this resulted in the Malaysian crane operator hitting the front right side of his lorry. Mr Lim died eight days later from bronchopneumonia due to compound fracture of the left femur.

A second charge of causing grievous hurt to the pillion rider, Ms Lai Li Theng, 25, was taken into consideration.

The court heard that Bharathi was driving along Sungei Kadut Street 2, a minor road, on the morning of June 27 last year when he stopped at the stop line at the T-junction, intending to make a right turn into Sungei Kadut Street 1.

At that time, Mr Lim was travelling straight on Sungei Kadut Street 1 on his motorbike with the pillion rider.

He hit the lorry, and both he and Ms Lai fell onto the road.

He suffered multiple severe injuries and was conveyed unconscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He was pronounced dead on July 5 the same year. Ms Lim was warded for a day and given medical leave until Sept 17.

Bharathi could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined for causing death by doing a negligent act.