SINGAPORE - A yoga instructor has been hauled up for allegedly touching five women improperly during classes. On Tuesday (Nov 30), the 32-year-old Indian national, who told a district court that he is now unemployed, was charged with 10 counts of molestation. Details about him and his then workplace cannot be disclosed due to a gag order to protect the identities of his alleged victims. They were then between 24 and 29 years old. He was at his downtown workplace some time in 2019 when he allegedly slapped a 24-year-old woman's buttock with his hand. Between 2019 and July last year, he is said to have performed acts such as touching the women's private parts. The man appeared in court via video link and was offered bail of $15,000 on Tuesday. His case has been adjourned to Dec 14. Police said in an earlier statement that they have zero tolerance towards sexual offenders who "threaten the personal safety of the community". The man was not the first yoga instructor to face molestation charges. In April 2018, another Indian national was sentenced to nine months' jail and a fine of $1,000 after he molested a female student, then 25, in 2015. Following a 12-day trial which began in 2016, the court convicted him of one count each of outraging her modesty and using criminal force on her. He cupped her breast while she was bending forward. She smacked his hand away and told him not to do it. Instead of stopping, he pinched her breast. She told him off again but he molested her a third time by reaching into her bra. She knocked his hand away. More on this topic Related Story Minimal physical contact with clients is the golden rule for fitness trainers in Singapore Related Story Male dance instructor allegedly molested 2 boys in different primary schools The man, then 26, appealed against his conviction, with his lawyer arguing that surveillance footage of the studio indicated that he could not have molested the woman in the way she described. The court rejected the arguments. In October 2018, the man's jail sentence was increased to a year, and he was also ordered to receive three strokes of the cane after the High Court allowed an appeal by the prosecution. For each count of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined or caned. More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - A male dance instructor allegedly molested two 10-year-old boys in different primary schools on separate occasions. The Singaporean man, now 41, is accused of five counts of molestation committed between 2016 and last year. He allegedly targeted one boy twice and the other child three times. The man's identity, as well as details about the schools and the boys, cannot be disclosed because of a gag order. Responding to queries from The Straits Times on Monday (Nov 8), the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the man has since been deregistered from its registry of instructors and is no longer engaged by any school. Its spokesman said: "MOE is committed to providing a safe learning environment for students. "MOE takes a serious view of instructors whose conduct compromises the safety and well-being of our students and will not hesitate to take firm action against them, including immediate termination of their services and permanent debarment from providing their services in schools." The man is said to have molested one of the boys twice in a primary school in 2016. He is accused of molesting the second child in another primary school in 2019 and last year. On Feb 3 last year, the man allegedly targeted this second boy in a school bus travelling from the school. He is expected to plead guilty to his offences on Dec 13. For each count of molesting a child below 14, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined or caned. More on this topic Related Story 4 years' jail for man who molested young boys on public buses Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - The driver of a car who allegedly reversed into a Traffic Police (TP) officer was charged on Saturday (Oct 30) with voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duties. Ang See Seng, 37, is accused of hurting Senior Staff Sergeant Haidil Osman at about 8.55am on Oct 28. He is alleged to have driven and reversed a car into the TP officer along Geylang East Avenue 1. The incident was captured on video and went viral on social media. According to the police, another TP officer was patrolling at Upper Paya Lebar Road when he saw the suspicious car. He signalled for the driver to stop, but the car sped off, leading to a chase. Senior Staff Sergeant Haidil had joined his colleague in pursuing the car on motorcycles. The car stopped briefly at Geylang East Avenue 1, but suddenly reversed against the flow of traffic and into the officer on his motorcycle, before speeding off. The car was later found abandoned along Geylang East Central, and a 34-year-old passenger of the car was arrested at the scene. A manhunt led to the arrest of Ang and a 22-year-old man who is alleged to have been the one who rented the car and who was also a passenger during the incident. According to court documents, Ang had just been released from prison and was serving a remission order when he allegedly committed the recent offence. He was also charged in April for allegedly driving dangerously at Woodlands Checkpoint on June 9 last year, by recklessly reversing into a gantry barrier and damaging it. He has been remanded for investigation and is scheduled for another court appearance on Monday (Nov 1). If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty, Ang may be jailed for up to seven years, fined or caned. More on this topic Related Story Cop hit by reversing car: Driver caught in under 4 hours, to be charged over incident Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - First, he allegedly splashed hot water on the woman. Later, he is said to have sent an e-mail to her daughter, saying the older woman purportedly slept with men for money. On Thursday (Oct 28), Chua Wang Dao, 51, appeared in a district court after he allegedly assaulted the woman in a room at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Singapore hotel. She was left with injuries including first degree burns on her forehead, as well as a mixture of first and second degree burns on her back. Chua now faces two counts of assault. The Singaporean is also accused of harassing the woman's daughter. In an earlier statement, the police said officers were alerted to the case on April 11 this year. Chua was said to be in a relationship with the woman. The police added: "Investigations revealed that the man had purportedly splashed boiling water on the woman during the assault and had allegedly sent an e-mail with insulting remarks about the woman to her daughter as well." According to court documents, Chua was in an MBS hotel room with the woman around noon on April 9 when he allegedly rained blows and splashed hot water on her. He was at Block 108 Serangoon North Avenue 1 about five hours later when he is said to have sent an e-mail to the victim's daughter, stating that the older woman "has been sleeping with other men for money". Chua's bail was set at $15,000 on Thursday and his case has been adjourned to Nov 25. If convicted of harassment, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $5,000. If convicted of hurting a victim with hot water, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned. Chua cannot be caned as he is more than 50 years old. More on this topic Related Story 4 years' jail for woman who poured hot water on boyfriend's groin, causing third-degree burns Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - A department head at Certis Cisco Protection Services allegedly received bribes totalling $83,000 in the form of loans, a district court heard on Wednesday (Oct 27). Head of the firm's strategy and resource management department Alvin Lee May Sim, 41, is said to have accepted the monies from two shareholders of security solutions firm Scar Services between 2017 and 2019. They are: Abdul Razeez Rasit, 35, and Nazarisham Mohamed Isa, 42. On Wednesday, Lee was charged with 13 counts of graft and nine counts of forgery. Razeez faced six counts of corruption while Nazarisham was charged with 13 counts of graft as well as one count each of forgery and using as genuine a forged document. According to court documents, Razeez and Nazarisham allegedly gave Lee bribes totalling $43,000 to induce him to advance the business interests of their firm with Certis Cisco Protection Services. Nazarisham allegedly gave Lee another $40,000 in bribes and gratification in the form of a car loan. Nazarisham is said to have done so mainly to receive purportedly forged Certis documents from Lee. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement that some time around 2019, Lee allegedly forged documents including safe-keeping receipts and standing order directives linked to the deposit of gemstones. The bureau added: "These alleged forgeries were intended to make believe that (Certis Cisco Security and Certis Cisco Auxiliary Police Force) had purportedly issued the documents when it was not the case. "Lee was also alleged to have conspired with Nazarisham to forge a (Certis Cisco Security) insurance certification document." The CPIB also said that separately, Nazarisham was alleged to have used and presented the false safe-keeping receipt as genuine by submitting it to a notary public. On Wednesday, the three Singaporean men were each offered bail of between $10,000 and $100,000. Their cases have been adjourned to next month. For each count of corruption, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000. More on this topic Related Story Sneaker store employees accused of taking over $17,000 in bribes to leak limited-edition shoe releases Related Story Ex-employee of semiconductor giant Micron fined, penalised for receiving bribes
SINGAPORE - An employee of Foot Locker allegedly received more than $12,000 in bribes in exchange for confidential information on limited-edition sneaker releases and discounted shoes. Xavier Goh Yixuan, 30, an assistant store manager at the sneaker store, is accused of accepting rewards totalling $12,189 on 36 occasions from Meng Fanxuan, 27, and two other individuals between August 2020 and January this year. On the hunt for the latest sneakers, Meng, a Singapore permanent resident, also allegedly paid $1,500 in bribes to AW Lab sales associate Muhammad Faiz Amy Jasman, 28, on five occasions so that limited-edition releases would be reserved for his purchase. Goh, Meng and Faiz were charged in court on Thursday (Oct 21) with corruption, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in a statement. Court documents stated that Goh allegedly also accepted $2,380 from another briber, Bryan Fong, on seven occasions between Aug 26 and Dec 1 last year for insider information. Similarly, Faiz is said to have accepted $3,795 from Fong on four occasions between Sept 11 and Oct 8 last year in exchange for reserving limited-edition sneakers for Fong. Faiz allegedly received a total of $5,295 in bribe money. The cases of Faiz and Meng have been adjourned to Nov 11. Goh's case will be heard in court again on Nov 18. The court documents did not provide further details on Fong's case. CPIB said any person who is convicted of corruption can be fined up to $100,000 and jailed for up to five years. The bureau urged companies to implement procedures in areas like procurement and internal audit to prevent falling victim to corrupt acts of their employees. More on this topic Related Story Takashimaya manager jailed for accepting bribes to cover up shortfall in security officers Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - A woman who allegedly flouted Covid-19 regulations purportedly tried to bribe a police officer to not take enforcement action against her. Chen Yuanyuan, 28, was drunk in public when she also allegedly assaulted two officers by kicking their legs. The Chinese national faced seven charges on Thursday (Oct 7), including two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, one under the Prevention of Corruption Act and two under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act. She was allegedly drunk in public on Jan 8 and kicked two police officers who had approached her. On Feb 24, she allegedly flouted Covid-19 regulations by leaving her place of residence to attend a gathering of more than eight people at an apartment unit in Pemimpin Drive. It was past midnight when the police caught her celebrating Chinese New Year at the apartment with 14 others. Chen then allegedly tried to bribe a police officer with $100 to not take enforcement action against her. The officer rejected the bribe and referred the case to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). In a separate incident on June 21, Chen allegedly threatened to injure a man with a kitchen knife. She has been offered bail of $15,000 and is set to return to court on Nov 5. In a statement on Wednesday, the CPIB said Singapore takes a zero-tolerance approach to corruption. Anyone who is convicted of corruption can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000. Those who voluntarily cause hurt to deter public servants from discharging their duties may be jailed for up to seven years and fined and caned. For non-compliance with safe distancing measures, offenders can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000. More on this topic Related Story Man charged in court over attempts to bribe policeman with $76 Related Story Ex-inspection officer at BCA jailed 8 weeks for corruption, ordered to pay $600 in penalties
SINGAPORE - A Singaporean businessman has been charged in a district court with helping to fund terrorist attacks in Syria. Mohamed Kazali Salleh, 50, appeared in court via video link with a shaved head and a blank expression as three charges of terror financing were read out to him in Malay on Monday (July 19). The court heard that Kazali intends to plead guilty and is intending to get his own lawyer. He is currently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). The prosecution asked that no bail be offered to Kazali as this would be "prejudicial to the security of Singapore" and "special arrangements" have been made to remand him. No bail was offered and Kazali’s case will next be heard on Aug 11. According to court documents, on three occasions between December 2013 and early 2014, Kazali allegedly provided money to a "Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin" intending for the money to be used to facilitate terrorist acts in Syria. On one occasion, he is accused of handing over RM1,000 to Wan Mohd Aquil at a bus terminal in Johor Bahru. The other two occasions involve Kazali allegedly remitting US$351.75 and RM500 through Western Union in Singapore and in Malaysia respectively. Under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act, introduced in 2002 to counter terrorism financing here, Kazali faces prison time of up to 10 years or a fine of up to $500,000, or both penalties, on each charge. In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Kazali, who was based in Malaysia, was arrested by Malaysian Special Branch officers in December 2018. He was then deported to Singapore and issued an Order of Detention under the ISA in January 2019 for his support of ISIS. “He was a close associate of Syria-based ISIS militant Malaysian Wan Mohd Aquil bin Wan Zainal Abidin, also known as Akel Zainal, believed to be the most senior ISIS fighter in Syria prior to his reported death in March 2019,” said MHA. Akel, who was a member of 1990s Malaysian rock band Ukays, reportedly instructed two Malaysian ISIS supporters to attack places of worship and police stations in Malaysia in 2019. The plots were foiled when the supporters were arrested in November 2018. MHA said on Monday that if convicted, the Order of Detention against Kazali will be cancelled and he will serve the sentence imposed by the court. Should Kazali be sentenced to a prison term, he will be held separately and continue to undergo rehabilitation “to prevent him from spreading his radical ideas to other inmates”, said MHA. At the end of his sentence, an assessment will be made to see if he has been successfully rehabilitated or remains a threat to society. “If he remains a threat, he may be detained further under the ISA,” MHA added. The Ministry said that Singapore is committed to combating terrorism financing regardless of whether the money is used to facilitate terrorist acts locally or abroad. It reminded the public that they should not remit money or provide any support to a terrorist organisation and urged anyone with information on such activities to inform the authorities promptly. More on this topic Related Story First Singaporean charged with funding terrorism sentenced to nearly 3 years' jail Related Story ISD watching social media, gaming platforms for terror-related activity
SINGAPORE - A National Library Board deputy director was charged on Wednesday (May 19) under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) with leaking information on the resumption of activities in phase two of Singapore's reopening last June. Chua Wee Lin, 51, faces one charge of communicating information to people whom he was not authorised to share it with. As the deputy director of the property and facilities management department of the National Library Board (NLB), Chua had access to the information. He had allegedly leaked it to a WhatsApp group with 18 other members on June 11 last year before the Government released the information to the public. The police said in a statement Tuesday that the classified information was then disseminated by members of the WhatsApp group, resulting in the details being widely circulated before it was meant to be released. Six others who wrongfully received and communicated the information will be issued with stern warnings the police added. Chua is out on $5,000 bail and is expected to return to court on June 16. The Straits Times has contacted NLB for more information. The latest case comes on the back of two similar OSA cases. Noorain Jubli, 38, faces two charges of wrongful communication of information. She was the personal assistant to the director-general of the Singapore Food Agency and allegedly leaked information on school closures during the Covid-19 circuit breaker last year. Her husband, Khairul Annuar Zakaria, 39, faces one such charge and another of soliciting wrongful communication of information. The information was allegedly taken from a draft joint media statement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education. More on this topic Related Story 2 women to be charged under OSA; one allegedly leaked Covid-19 numbers Related Story HDB executive allegedly tipped off tenant before inspections at flat, both charged under OSA Noorain allegedly accessed the classified information from the director-general's e-mail inbox and sent it to her husband before it was officially released. He then allegedly sent it to his friends. Earlier in April, a former deputy lead at the Ministry of Health (MOH) was charged with allegedly leaking Singapore's daily Covid-19 case numbers 22 times last year. Zhao Zheng, 36, faces 24 charges under the OSA. She was charged along with her friend, Tang Lin, 36, who allegedly asked Zhao to help her check on the status of a coronavirus-positive patient. More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - The police are investigating 70 people for not complying with safe distancing measures. The 47 men and 23 women, aged between 15 and 56, were found allegedly drinking and singing in large groups in separate incidents this month, the police said on Sunday (May 16). In one incident on May 7, the police said they were attending to a case of dispute at an industrial unit along Kaki Bukit Road when loud music was heard coming from another unit. Nine men and six women, aged between 20 and 42 years old, were allegedly found drinking and singing inside the unit. In another incident on the same day, the police received information about a gathering at a residential unit along Greenwood Avenue. Nineteen men and 10 women, aged between 15 and 41, were found allegedly mingling, drinking, and singing inside the unit when officers arrived. A 23-year-old man in the group purportedly hurled vulgarities repeatedly at the police officers, and he was arrested for using abusive language towards a public servant under the Protection from Harassment Act. A 40-year-old man was found to be in possession of substances believed to be controlled drugs, and was also arrested for offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act. In the third incident on May 14, the Police received information about a gathering in an office unit along Jalan Bukit Merah. Nineteen men and seven women, aged between 24 and 56, were found allegedly mingling, drinking and singing inside the unit. Public entertainment and liquor were believed to have been supplied without a valid licence in all three incidents, the police said, and the operators of all three units are now being investigated for offences under the Public Entertainments Act and Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act 2015. 15 people were allegedly found drinking and singing inside an industrial unit along Kaki Bukit Road. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE 29 people were found allegedly mingling, drinking, and singing inside a residential unit along Greenwood Avenue. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE The offences of providing public entertainment or supplying liquor without a valid licence each carries a fine of up to $20,000. Karaoke equipment, supplies of alcohol and party accessories have been seized as case exhibits. Using abusive language towards a public servant is punishable with a fine of up to $5,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both. For non-compliance with safe distancing measures under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, offenders may be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.
SINGAPORE - A senior vice president (VP) of Singpost allegedly cheated the company for more than four years, getting them to pay him more than $800,000 in salaries. Liang An Wey, 46, is also alleged to have attempted to get $1 million in bribes from a contractor after he was made a senior VP of the company. On Tuesday (May 11), he was slapped with one charge for corruption and another for cheating. According to court documents, Liang deceived Singpost into believing he was employed by private firm GSM Holdings between 2012 and June 2013 at a salary of $14,500. He allegedly submitted the false information in his job application to Singpost in 2013. Singpost then paid him a monthly salary of $15,000 for a total of 56 months. The total amount he was paid in the position over the period was $840,000. In March 2015, as a senior VP of Singpost, he attempted to obtain a bribe of $1 million from the chief operating officer of Bintai Kindenko, a mechanical and engineering contractor. The bribe was allegedly to have been in return for him recommending Bintai Kindenko as a sub-contractor for the construction works involved in the redevelopment of the Singpost Centre Retail Mall and works related to the Singpost Office Asset Enhancement Initiative. He is currently out on $5,000 bail and is expected to be back in court for a further mention of the case on June 8. If convicted of cheating, he may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined. If convicted of corruption, he may be jailed for up to five years, or fined up to $100,000, or both. More on this topic Related Story 16 months' jail for woman involved in business deal that paid out nearly $500k in bribes Related Story Former Straits Wine employee fined $3,000 for corruption
SINGAPORE - A Singaporean teenager has been charged in court after threatening to kill football player Neal Maupay who is a forward with Brighton in the English Premier League. The court on Monday (May 3) heard that Derek Ng De Ren, now 19, is also accused of threatening to kill the footballer's family. The player and his family were in Britain when the threats were made in June and July last year. According to earlier reports, the Premier League had alerted the Singapore Police Force after its investigations showed that the person responsible for the "serious online abuse" towards Mr Maupay was in Singapore. According to court papers, Ng sent the threatening messages via Instagram while in Singapore. In one message on June 24, Ng allegedly said: "You think you will get away for injuring Leno? No way in hell bruv (sic)... But don't worry you will be safe you won't be hurt. "It's more fun watching you feel pain when your loved ones go through suffering." Just days earlier on June 21, Mr Maupay had scored the winning goal against Arsenal in a match which saw Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno carried off the pitch injured after a tussle with the French national. In another message on June 26, Ng allegedly said: "Your family will be attacked later in the day, just watch." On July 1, he is said to have sent Mr Maupay another message, saying: "You think by reporting my account you're safe? I will kill you and your family." More on this topic Related Story Football: United ban six fans for alleged social media abuse of Tottenham's Son Related Story Football: France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry quits social media over 'toxic' racism, abuse The court heard on Monday that Ng intends to plead guilty to his charges. His case has been adjourned to May 31. For each count of harassment, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $5,000.
SINGAPORE - Local actor Shane Pow appeared in a district court on Thursday (April 22) after he was allegedly caught drink driving on Sept 17 last year. Pow, 30, faces one charge of drink driving. The actor was stopped at around 11.20pm that day, while allegedly driving a van along Java Road towards Nicoll Highway with 49 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath. This exceeds the limit of 35mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. According to court documents, Pow was previously convicted on July 30, 2014 of drink driving. If he is found guilty again, he faces a jail term of up to two years and a possible fine of between $5,000 and $20,000. He could also be banned from driving for at least five years. Pow is represented by lawyer S S Dhillon and will return to court on June 3. He was seen turning up at the State Courts alone and left hurriedly after the hearing. The Mediacorp actor was first discovered in the Singapore Manhunt finals in 2011 and starred in popular dramas such as When Duty Calls in 2018. Last year, Pow was one of 13 people who attended Mediacorp artiste Jeffrey Xu's birthday party on Oct 2. The party in Daisy Road, attended by actors Xu and Terence Cao, breached Covid-19 regulations that restricted group gatherings to five people or fewer. Cao and a male guest identified as Lance Lim Chee Keong were in March charged under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act. Eleven of those who gathered were fined $300 each in lieu of being prosecuted due to their lower level of culpability. The celebrations received flak on social media after pictures of the unmasked group went viral online. More on this topic Related Story Actor Shane Pow assaulted at Marina Bay Sands nightclub Related Story Mediacorp's Toggle removes Shane Pow's 'blackface' episode following outcry