SINGAPORE - A motorist, who knew he could be going to jail after he was caught drink driving for the second time, landed in deeper trouble when he offered a policeman a $1,000 bribe in an attempt to get himself off the hook. The officer rejected the offer and after a trial, Principal District Judge Victor Yeo convicted the drink driver, Chong Wei Kwong, of a graft charge. On Monday (Dec 6), the 50-year-old Singaporean also pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving after he was caught with 76 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath in December 2018. This was more than double the prescribed limit of 35mcg of alcohol. For committing the two offences, Chong was on Monday sentenced to 10 weeks' jail, given a fine of $5,000 and disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for five years. Chong had an earlier drink-driving conviction in April 2001 for which he was fined $2,000 and disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for 15 months. Despite this, he did not learn his lesson and downed about five glasses of liquor before entering the driver's seat of his car parked at the PoMo shopping mall- now known as GR.ID - in Selegie Road at around 10pm on Dec 14, 2018. Deputy Public Prosecutor Genevieve Pang said that Chong was reversing his car near an exit gantry when it struck a door. The court heard that the door fell to the ground and a security supervisor was alerted of the incident. The man then alerted the police even though Chong asked him not to do so. Two police officers, Staff Sergeant Low Wee Meng and Sergeant 2 Rachel Zhuang, arrived at the scene soon after. The DPP said: "Upon realising that the police were now involved, the accused felt shocked and scared. He became desperate to extricate himself from his situation. This is evident from the way the accused behaved after the police arrived." The court heard that Chong had tried to take back his identity card from the police because he did not want them to record his particulars and investigate him for drink driving. Chong also denied being the driver of the car, stating that the police officers had no evidence on the matter. Staff Sgt Low then administered a breathalyser test on Chong. More on this topic Related Story CJ rejects argument of retired SAF regular who appealed against jail for drink driving Related Story Woman allegedly tried to bribe cop with $100 after getting caught flouting Covid-19 rules According to the officer, this had to be done "quite a few times" because Chong did not blow properly. After failing the test, Chong had to be arrested and taken back to a police station. DPP Pang said: "By this time, the accused knew that it was a real possibility that he could go to jail for drink driving. He was desperate to get out of trouble for drink driving. The accused first asked Staff Sgt Low: 'Can we compromise?'. "In response to his plea, (the officer) replied that there are cameras everywhere and that there is no way he could easily get out of it. Staff Sgt Low's response immediately caused the accused to despair. The accused lamented that once the police are alerted, he was 'done for', as he knew that there was a good chance that he would go to jail for drink driving." The prosecutor said that Chong continued pleading for a "compromise" and even asked if the police would withdraw the case. The policeman stood his ground and according to court documents, Chong tried to offer him a bribe by saying: "Whatever you want, I will do for you." The court heard that Staff Sgt Low then warned Chong who persisted and offered the officer a bribe of $1,000. Staff Sgt Low rejected the offer and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau was later alerted. More on this topic Related Story Man charged in court over attempts to bribe policeman with $76 Related Story 4 weeks' jail for lorry driver who offered $100 bribe to police officer over traffic offence In his defence, Chong had claimed that the $1,000 offered was meant for the settlement of the damages he caused at the carpark. The DPP said that this was "clearly an afterthought", adding: "The accused has conceded in the course of trial that he had in fact intended to engage someone to repair the door himself rather than pay a sum of the money to the carpark's management for the door's repairs. "Accordingly, he could not have intended to offer the sum of $1,000 to Staff Sgt Low as compensation for the carpark's management." For graft, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000. More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - Some food sellers just emerging from their two-week quarantine are calling for easier access to financial compensation, having had to throw away much of their fresh ingredients and lost significant revenue due to mandated stall closures. They said the online application process - which should give them $100 for each day they are forced to shut - is too complicated. Many also did not know how to start or where to go online. Money should be more quickly dispensed to them, especially when whole food centres are being closed due to the cluster linked to Jurong Fishery Port, they said. The Straits Times was at the markets and food centres at Hong Lim and Chong Boon, which reopened on Tuesday (Aug 3) to crowds that were far from what they were before. At both, footfall was sparse and some stallholders chose not to reopen until after the National Day long weekend, due to the difficulty of getting fresh seafood. Others were waiting for more regular patrons to be aware that they are now reopened. Madam Yeo, 58, who wanted to be known only by her last name, was at Hong Lim to disinfect her roast meat stall before she reopens later in the week. She said she wanted to keep her stall clean due to the ongoing pandemic, but lamented that she was quite discouraged by the emptiness of the market when she arrived in the morning. "There is compensation for our closure, but it is too difficult to apply and I haven't seen the money. When I ask my children to help with it, they lose their temper. They are busy with their own work too," she said. "It shouldn't be this hard if all of us are closed. It's not as if we are not working. We try our best every day." Hawkers who have been served quarantine orders or whose incomes have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 can seek financial help via various Government schemes, such as the Quarantine Order Allowance Scheme, the Courage Fund, or the Covid-19 Recovery Grant. Some of them have also been given rental waivers or reductions. Madam Yeo's gripe with grant application is a common complaint among stallholders. Mr Ong, 55, who operates a mixed rice stall at Hong Lim, said there are simply too many forms. "Instead of a signature they also require us to use our thumb print for authentication. I don't know how to do that," he said. "We have approached a few agencies and our community club. We need help." Mr San Ah Hock, 58, said he will be getting his son to help him with the application. He has operated the fruit stall at Chong Boon for over 40 years, and knows those who work there well. He estimates that eight out of 10 stallholders at Chong Boon would not know how to apply for the financial aid. "Most of them are elderly, not that educated or do not have children. I think it would be better if the government can provide assistance automatically to stall owners who had to undergo quarantine." More on this topic Related Story PAP town councils offer waivers for 8 markets and food centres affected by Covid-19 closures Related Story One-off $500 assistance for NEA-managed hawker centre and market stallholders The two usually crowded hawker centres had been linked to the Jurong Fishery Port Covid-19 cluster that, as of Monday (Aug 2) night, had reported 1,072 cases. In the last two weeks, both food centres were shut for disinfection to break the transmission chain. Almost all stallholders had been put up in hotels for a period of isolation. Footfall was sparse at Chong Boon Market and Food Centre on its first day of reopening, on Aug 3, 2021. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN Few food stalls were open when ST was at Chong Boon Market and Food Centre, on Aug 3, 2021. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN At Chong Boon, vegetable stall owner Chia Hock Seng, 62, said business was about 20 per cent of the usual. It was the first time in his over 40 years of operating the stall that he has experienced a closure on this scale at the market, he said, adding that he might return home at noon if the sparse crowds persists. "We had to throw away about 100kg to 200kg of vegetables when the market closed and lost about $400. It might take at least a month for the crowds to return to the market," Mr Chia said. The situation at Hong Lim was similar, with Mr Chew Chee Giap, 65, a vegetarian food stall owner, saying that he had served only six customers in the morning, a far cry from the usual 50 to 60 customers he would have had by 9am. "It is a difficult time for all hawkers," he said. "We are glad to reopen but business right now is unviable." Reopening of Chong Boon Market on Aug 3, at 8.15am The stall operators who chose to open their stall on Tuesday were in any case relieved that their period of quarantine is over. Mr Ricky Wee, 20, who is an employee at the chicken stall at Chong Boon, said he is happy to be back working. "We can continue with our business so we have more income, instead of staying at the hotel." Mr Wee Kai Tin, who runs a drink stall at Hong Lim, said: "I had spent my time at Hotel Mi playing Tsum Tsum on my phone and watching television. Business is bad but I'm excited to start work again." 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SINGAPORE - A man who started sexually grooming a teenager when she was 13 years old has been jailed for two years and 10 months. Nick Chong Seng Cheong, 24, had sex with the girl on multiple occasions and also paid her for it. He pleaded guilty on Monday (April 12) to three counts of sexual penetration of a minor under 14 and one count of possessing obscene films. Seven charges of sexual penetration of a minor were taken into consideration by District Judge Janet Wang during sentencing. The girl cannot be named due to a gag order to protect her identity. Court documents state that Chong was a project lead at an engineering company when he committed the offences. He became acquainted with the victim through chat application ChatIW in October 2017. They subsequently communicated via WhatsApp, and Chong would ask the girl to send him photographs of her private parts. He also sent her photographs of his genitals and videos of himself performing a sex act. Chong later suggested that they become "friends with benefit", to which the girl agreed, on the condition that she would be paid whenever they engaged in sexual activities. By that time, the girl had informed Chong that she was 13, the court heard. They met up to engage in sexual activities almost every month, from October 2017 to February 2019. These meetings took place either in toilets for the handicapped at various shopping malls or at hotels booked by Chong. On each occasion after the first, Chong paid the victim between $30 and $50, depending on the sexual activity involved. He knew the girl wanted the money to buy games, among other things, the court heard. More on this topic Related Story Grooming, self-blame and fear: Why intra-familial sexual abuse cases stay buried for years Related Story To protect children sexually abused by family members, CPS officers draw up safety plan Chong told the girl to bring a change of clothes each time they met at a hotel, explaining that she would be questioned by the hotel staff if she turned up in school attire. He would also instruct her to act like his sister to avoid arousing the suspicion of the staff. The court heard that Chong took videos of them having sex together in the hotels, which he sent to the victim. His offences came to light after the girl told the police in March 2019 that she had had sex with several men. Two mobile phones were later seized from Chong during police investigations, and were found to contain 48 obscene video clips. In her written submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh urged the court to jail him for at least three years. She said Chong had sought to exploit the girl for his sexual gratification despite being aware of her young age. In sentencing Chong on Monday, District Judge Wang noted that there was no dispute that there was a "considerable measure of sexual grooming" in this case. More on this topic Related Story Man who groomed girl, 12, to engage in sexual acts gets 13 years' jail and caning Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories For each offence of sexually penetrating a minor under 14, Chong could have been jailed for up to 20 years. He could also have been fined or caned. He could also have been jailed for up to six months, or fined up to $200,000, or both, for possessing obscene films.