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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/import-cars-jail-tax-gst-duty-evasion-fined-4064701 Low Han Siang, the sole proprietor of car importer M’ Exclusive, will serve 69 months' jail in total. SINGAPORE: A man was fined S$6 million (US$4.4 million) last Friday (Jan 19) for evading duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 1,828 motor cars imported into Singapore. As he failed to pay the fine, Low Han Siang, the sole proprietor of car importer M’ Exclusive, will serve a jail term of 60 months in default. He was also sentenced to an additional nine months' jail for underpaying the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) during the registration of the vehicles. The ARF is a tax imposed when a vehicle is registered, calculated based on a percentage of the Open Market Value of the vehicle. Low, 46, had pleaded guilty to two charges under the Customs Act for evading over S$1.8 million in taxes and duties incurred from importing 1,141 motor vehicles, including brands like Mercedes, Porsche and Tesla, into Singapore between 2017 and 2021. The Singaporean also pleaded guilty to two amalgamated charges of giving incorrect information under the Road Traffic Act. Another two charges of fradulent evasion of GST, six charges of fradulent evasion of duty and GST, five charges of causing an incorrect declaration to be made and four amalgamated charges for giving incorrect information were taken into considering during sentencing. HOW LOW WAS CAUGHT An investigation into M’Exclusive was launched after the car importer was suspected of under-declaring the values of motor vehicles for assessment of duty and GST payable, Singapore Customs said in a press release on Monday. Investigations found that from April 2017 to June 2021, Low created false invoices or asked his suppliers to issue multiple invoices with partial values to conceal the actual values of the imported cars. These invoices were then submitted to Singapore Customs for assessment of duty and GST payable. The suppression of the values of the 1,828 motor cars imported into Singapore between April 2017 and June 2021 resulted in the short payment of duty and GST amounting to about S$3,263,280. It was also discovered that Low had instructed his employee, Lee Pak How, to falsify invoices with suppressed values determined by Low. Lee, a 33-year-old Singapore permanent resident, was fined S$10,000 on Jan 13 after pleading guilty to one charge of falsification of documents. DECLARED VALUES OF IMPORTED MOTOR CARS Singapore Customs said it “closely monitors" the declared values of motor cars imported into Singapore and "will not hesitate to take enforcement actions on errant traders”. The agency added it maintains a "robust commitment" to combat fraudulent evasion of duty and GST, and will take the necessary actions against individuals and entities engaging in such illicit activities. Singapore Customs noted that in January, five individuals involving three separate cases were charged for fraudulent evasion of duty and GST by suppressing the declared values of imported motor cars, making incorrect declaration or causing incorrect declaration to be made on the values of motor vehicles, and falsification of documents. Court proceedings are ongoing for these cases. “Any person who is concerned in fraudulent evasion of any duty or GST on imported goods shall be liable on conviction to a fine of up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to two years,” Singapore Customs said. Any person who is concerned in fraudulent evasion of any duty or GST on imported goods can face a maximum fine of up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and jailed for up to two years. Any person who gives incorrect information in relation to any matter affecting the amount of tax chargeable shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months. "The court shall also order the offender to pay up the ARF which has been undercharged to the LTA," Singapore Customs said.

What happened? Andre Low Jun Cheng was sentenced to 18 months’ jail and a driving ban of 10 years after crashing into a PAB (power assisted bicycle) rider with two children while speeding after drinking alcohol. He was heading home on Tampines road after drinking one-and-a-half glasses of cognac that night. The accident happened at the T-junction of Hougang Avenue 1, where the victim stopped his PAB on the second lane. At around 9.55p.m, Low continued accelerating while going straight, failing to notice the rider until too late, and crashed into the back of the bike. The victim was flung upwards and rolled on top of Low's car before falling to the ground. The collision wrecked the e-bike and ripped off portions of the Mini Cooper's front bonnet and bumper. Two cars that Low overtook while driving noted he was going fast. It was noted by the court he was driving from 70km/h to 93km/h, despite the speed limit of the area being 60km/h. Low called for an ambulance and the victim was taken to a hospital, but ultimately died from head and chest injuries. Mr Low was then arrested and escorted to traffic police headquarters after failing a breathalyser test. Police found that he had 45 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of his breath, higher than the legal limit of 30 microgrammes. He is considered a serious offender based on this number. The prosecution asked for 15 to 18 months of jail and a driving ban of 10 years. This is considered the mandatory minimum. His lawyers asked for a jail term of not more than 12 months instead, saying it was his client’s “first brush with the law”. Online chatter Many felt that the drunk driver was not punished harshly enough. ========= Be the first to get the latest road/ COE news and get first dibs on exclusive promos and giveaways in our Telegram SGCM Community. Join us today!

What happened? The driver who caused a fatal accident on the CTE (Central Expressway) in 2021 has been sentenced to two and a half years of jail as well as a 10 year driving ban. Ng Wen Xun, 35, was reported to have been speeding at up to 215km/h in a Mazda 3 when she lost control of her vehicle, hitting a guard railing before colliding with two motorcycles, another car, and a lorry. Ng’s car then hit the guard railing on the other side before stopping and catching fire. The lorry turned on it's right side, sending two of it's passengers onto the road. Almost all parties were sent to the hospital, with the exception being a 65 year old driver from the other car involved in the crash. One of the motorcyclists, 31, died in the hospital after succumbing to their injuries. One of the lorry passengers was found to have fractures to his spine, needing to be hospitalised for 9 days. Ng pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving, one causing death and another of causing grievous hurt. However, her lawyer said her client exhibited a "very limited manner of dangerous driving". To add to this point, Ms Chee brought up how the situation occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, and so there were fewer road users due to the hybrid work situation. She said her client has "genuine remorse" and is deeply apologetic and "very, very sorry" for the loss of life she has caused. Ng will serve her jail sentence beginning from June 12, or pay bail set at $15,000 on Monday. If convicted for dangerous driving causing death, one can be jailed between two and eight years and banned from driving for 10 years. The consequences of dangerous driving causing grievous hurt are a jail term between a year and five years, as well as a driving ban of eight years. Online chatter People questioned how Ng was going so fast. Others criticised the sentence, feeling that the judge was too lenient and that the punishment should have been harsher. ========= Be the first to get the latest road/ COE news and get first dibs on exclusive promos and giveaways in our Telegram SGCM Community. Join us today!

Verdick is out Doctor gets 10 years’ jail for sexually assaulting patient in Bedok clinic Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/doctor-sexually-assaulted-patient-wee-teong-boo-jailed-11294522 SINGAPORE: A doctor convicted of sexually assaulting his patient was on Wednesday (Feb 27) sentenced to 10 years' jail. He was also ordered to pay the victim S$1,200 in compensation for the counselling fees she incurred to deal with the psychological and emotional effects from the assault, which took place in 2015 in his Bedok clinic. Wee Teong Boo, 68, was found guilty on Monday of one charge of outrage of modesty and another charge of sexual assault by digital penetration. He was acquitted of the original rape charge. Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz on Wednesday asked for a sentence of 12 years and seven months’ jail. Of this, three months was in lieu of seven strokes of the cane, as Wee is above the age of 50 and cannot be caned. She said “medicine has long been regarded as the most noble of professions”, but Wee’s “senseless actions” violated its ethics and code, “forever shattering” the victim’s life. “Forty-two years after entering a profession committed to the primacy of patient welfare, Wee Teong Boo stands before this court, convicted of sexual assaulting and molesting a young female patient during two medical examinations - his senseless actions violating the very ethical mores that every doctor swears to uphold,” said the prosecutor. Advertisement Wee has indicated his intent to appeal against the conviction and sentence. GIVING TESTIMONY WAS LIKE BEING RAPED AGAIN: VICTIM The prosecutor reminded the judge of the victim’s testimony during the trial, which the victim had likened to being “raped again”. The woman, aged 23 when the assault took place, had told the court that after the incident, she “was living like a walking dead, walking as per normal, but I was just dead inside”. She also wondered why it happened to her, “out of so many patients”. “What are the odds of being raped when you visit a medical professional in Singapore, in such a safe country? I cannot register why I am the one, I just can’t understand why it happened to me,” the prosecutor recalled the victim saying. The incident affected her classes and "destroyed her trust in male doctors". The victim later requested only for female doctors whenever she visited a polyclinic. She also had trouble with her male friends, unable to accept any intimacy. Wee was acquitted of the rape charge as the judge said he was satisfied that there was reasonable doubt as to whether penile penetration could have taken place. On Wednesday, the prosecutor said Wee had been "utterly disgraceful" in court, in particular retorting during cross-examination: "I do not consider her (the patient) a victim." "This barbed taunt smacks of arrogance and pure defiance and ... lack of remorse," said the prosecutor. She also said that Wee maligned the integrity and character of independent witnesses during the trial, claiming that a doctor on the stand was not giving objective evidence and instead was embellishing it to suit the prosecution's case. He also maligned police officers, calling them "stupid" and "blatantly lying about ill treatment while in custody", said the prosecution. Wee’s defence counsel Edmond Pereira said he will not be making submissions on sentence as his client is maintaining his innocence. He pointed to Wee's history of medical conditions, including diabetes and hypertension, and pointed out that there was no need for the prosecution to increase an "already lengthy" jail term as Wee will be in his late 70s by the time he is released from prison. He also tried contesting the compensation order relating to the victim's counselling fees, saying there was no evidence in court about the counselling when the victim testified. Wee is out on bail pending his appeal. Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/doctor-sexually-assaulted-patient-wee-teong-boo-jailed-11294522

‘I was thrown in jail and a mental institution, then deported from Singapore… for not wearing a Covid-19 mask’ https://www.rt.com/op-ed/533288-singapore-citizen-deported-covid-rules/ Don’t like wearing masks? Neither does Benjamin Glynn. But his refusal to wear one, on account of his failure to accept Singapore’s right to make them legally mandatory, saw him treated like a terrorist, as he tells RT. The return leg of Benjamin Glynn’s daily commute turned his life upside down. Violent arrests, a prison sentence and time in a mental institution followed, but he vowed, “I would do it all again, I don’t regret anything.” Living in Singapore, the Brit and his partner decided to return home with their two kids, booking flights for May 31. On keen runner Glynn’s final day at work, he went for a run with colleagues, followed by a few drinks. On the train home, a passenger videoed him not wearing a Covid mask – contrary to the local rules – and uploaded it to citizen journalism website Stomp. Twenty-four hours later, the police knocked on his door, demanding he come to the station. Glynn said, “I was happy to have a chat with them. I just thought it would be a conversation and I could go talk to them on the Monday, but they insisted they had to take me then. I objected to that as it was so late; it was my daughter’s fifth birthday. But that’s when the nightmare began.” Things turned ugly, and officers used batons which led to an ambulance being called due to Glynn bleeding from his knees, elbows and shoulders. He spent the rest of the weekend in holding cells, which he described as “horrendous.” There was a concrete floor with no bedding and the lights were on constantly. Tiredness had him hallucinating, before he was finally granted bail. The rest of the family flew to the UK, but he had to remain for a scheduled court date on July 23. And worse was to follow. He explained, “On July 19, five of them [police] came bursting into my room. I hid in the bathroom and recorded it on my phone. They gave me no choice and dragged me out.” It was at this point things turned “quite dark.” Bail was revoked; Glynn was back in the concrete police cells and then transferred to Changi prison. He continued, “I’m probably the only person in the history of Singapore who was happy about going to prison. I thought it can’t be any worse. But I still had no bed, it was a thin bamboo mat on the floor and itchy blanket.” Throughout all of this, Glynn had been clear – he admitted not wearing a mask on the train. But by now he was facing four charges; two of not wearing a mask, one for being a public nuisance and one for using threatening language to the police. He said, “I admitted the whole time that it was me not wearing a mask. My defence was based on the law and who has jurisdiction over who. Is it a criminal action or is it a civil regulation breach?” He accepts that employers have the legal right to tell their staff to wear masks, but does not agree the state can issue such demands legally. Several of his comments in court attracted attention, wrongly giving the impression he wasn’t taking his predicament seriously. That was despite him attending some appearances in handcuffs, ankle bracelets and chained to a chair. Glynn added, “I was quite aware of the law and what a crime is, and isn’t. But I just assumed that because Singapore was a British colony and the British set up their legal system, they would have some respect for common law. But it turns out they have absolutely zero recognition for the living man or living woman.” Glynn asking the judge three times at one hearing to name which law states the public must wear masks seemingly angered the authorities, and he was sent to the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment. That was even tougher than Changi prison, where at least he was able to read and have personal items. Glynn said, “It was a horrible cell with a small grille, no windows, and I wasn’t allowed anything – no toilet paper, books or toothbrush. I just had two weeks of staring at a wall in the isolation ward, where the really poorly people with mental problems are. “This is how they deal with people who challenge their legal system and government, but it’s not just in Singapore – I’m sure people in other countries have also been accused of having mental problems if they refuse to comply with the Covid regulations.” Throughout the process, the judiciary offered him deals to plead guilty. But Glynn refused them all, explaining, “That’s not really how justice works, you don’t condemn someone to prison before the trial and sweet talk them out of it.” In the end, he was found guilty on all charges but had served enough time, so was deported a few days later. And even that became a saga, because as he was brought to the gate in shackles, KLM – with whom Glynn had bought his original ticket – refused to take him. Singapore Airlines did the same, but the British High Commission said he could travel on British Airways. The nightmare ended when the jet’s wheels touched down at Heathrow, but Glynn feels he has been unfairly portrayed, particularly given that what sparked the secret video was him assisting an elderly gentlemen onto the train, who had been struggling to breathe in his mask. After helping the man to a seat, Glynn was approached by others about not wearing one himself. “I’ve been treated in my opinion like some sort of terrorist and as a criminal.” he said. While he would not wish to relive the incident, Glynn does feel it exposed bigger issues. He said, “It was unfortunate but I was standing up for my rights. I don’t believe in wearing masks. I stood up for my rights not to wear a mask, which is recognised in every major country apart from Singapore by the sounds of it. My case has highlighted a lot of unfairness in the Singapore legal system.” And while he claimed he had been “psychologically tortured,” he’s keen to put it behind him, saying, “I’m not some crazy freedom fighter who wants to neglect my family or my career to keep on doing this.” Glynn has been lambasted in some quarters but has also received lots of messages of support. So, what does he take away from this bizarre experience? “I think it showed Singapore is not safe, and the police have no respect or regard for human rights,” he claimed. After spending a week in the countryside since returning home, Glynn appears relaxed and ready to move on. He admitted, “It’s just so good to be back on English soil and the land of the free.”

woooh... totally disgusted after reading this news can't believe got such shameless people around

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/model-and-dj-tenashar-jailed-18-months-for-drug-offences SINGAPORE - Local model and club DJ Tenashar, who fled the country while out on bail for drug offences, was jailed for 18 months on Tuesday (March 26). The former FHM Singapore cover girl, whose full name is Debbie Valerie Tenashar Long, was found to have traces of drugs, including cocaine, in her urine sample in 2015. She absconded in November that year, before returning in May 2018 after her passport expired. She was arrested upon arrival. The 33-year-old mother of a 12-year-old girl had pleaded guilty to consuming benzoylecgonine, a major metabolite of cocaine and psilocin - a substance found in most psychedelic mushrooms. Long also admitted to being in possession of psilocin. One charge of being in possession of a nimetazepam or Erimin-5 tablet was taken into consideration during sentencing. Acting on information, Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers first arrested Long for drug-related offences at the arrival hall of Changi Airport Terminal 1 at around 10.20pm on Oct 28, 2015. She had just returned from a two-week trip to Amsterdam, the court heard. Officers took her to a CNB office at Bedok Police Divisional Headquarters where she gave urine samples that were later found to contain traces of benzoylecgonine and psilocin. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Wuan told the court that Long had consumed the drugs overseas. Officers searched her luggage and found two containers labelled "Psilocybe Atlantis Forbidden Fruit". They contained about 42g of a substance which was found to contain psilocin. Investigation revealed that Long had bought the drug in Amsterdam and intended to consume it. Officers escorted Long to her apartment at The Quayside condominium in Robertson Quay at around 3am on Oct 29, 2015, and found an Erimin-5 tablet. The DJ was then taken to the Police Cantonment Complex for further investigations before she was released on bail. However, she left Singapore on Nov 15, 2015, despite knowing that she had to report back to the CNB. On Tuesday, DPP Wuan urged District Judge Kessler Soh to sentence Long to at least a year and 10 months' jail, stressing that she had absconded while out on bail. Defence lawyer S.S. Dhillon pleaded for his client to be jailed for not more than a year and four months. Related Story Model-DJ Tenashar faces drug-related charges including cocaine consumption He told Judge Soh that Long had used her status as a celebrity DJ to raise funds for charitable causes, including donating her performance fees in 2014 to help earthquake victims in Nepal. News of her drug-related offences first made the headlines in April 2016 when The New Paper reported that Long and her then boyfriend, Mr Thorsten Nolte, who is in his 40s, were wanted by the CNB. She had earlier told TNP that she had been dating the Englishman since February 2015 after he separated from his wife, local celebrity Jamie Yeo. Mr Nolte was not mentioned in court documents on Tuesday. For each drug consumption charge, Long could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $20,000

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-mandatory-minimum-jail-sentences-among-proposed-amendments-11506954 New mandatory minimum jail sentences among proposed amendments to Road Traffic Act In the first reading of the Bill, the Ministry of Home Affairs laid out new penalties and tighter regulatory frameworks to deter irresponsible driving. By Cindy Co 06 May 2019 02:52PM(Updated: 06 May 2019 03:44PM) Share this content Bookmark SINGAPORE: New Mandatory Minimum Sentences (MMS) will be imposed on the most serious irresponsible driving offences in an amendment to the Road Traffic Act introduced in Parliament on Monday (May 6). These minimum sentences will meted out to offenders who show “egregious driving behaviour” and “cause death or injuries with long-lasting impact on the victim”. The amendments will also introduce two classes of irresponsible driving offences that the MMS will be applied to​​​​​​​: Dangerous driving and careless driving. The two categories will roughly correspond to the Rash Act and Negligent Act in the Penal Code. In effect, the MMS will be meted out to drivers charged for dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing grievous hurt. For dangerous driving causing death, first time offenders will face up to eight years in jail, with an MMS of two years. Second time offenders will face a minimum mandatory jail term of four years, with up to 15 years' imprisonment. As for first time offenders charged with dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, they will be subject to one year MMS, and face up to five years in jail. Second-time offenders on the above charge will face a two-year minimum jail sentence, with up to 10 years' imprisonment. There will also be add-on maximum penalties for dangerous and careless driving offences, should the motorist have committed the offence while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or failed to provide a specimen for analysis. A person found guilty of dangerous driving while causing death while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or failed to provide a specimen for analysis, will face up to 10 years in jail with a minimum sentence of three years if he is a first-time offender. A second-time offender for the above charge will face up to 19 years in jail, with a six-year MMS. A person found guilty of dangerous driving while causing grievous hurt while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or failed to provide a specimen for analysis, will face up to six years in jail with a minimum sentence of 18 months if he is a first-time offender. He will also be subject to a fine ranging from S$2,000 to S$10,000. A second-time offender for the above charge will face up to 12 years in jail, with a three-year MMS as well as a fine ranging from S$5,000 to S$20,000. These changes come in the wake of an observed increase in irresponsible and reckless driving by the Traffic Police, with the number of summonses issued to motorists increased from 152,700 in 2015 to 181,000 in 2018. In addition, the Traffic Police has also noted that the penalties for irresponsible driving in Singapore are less severe than in other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia. The current maximum imprisonment term for causing death by dangerous driving in Singapore is imprisonment of up to five years, while other jurisdictions have a maximum penalty of up to 10 or 14 years. The MMS is part of enhanced criminal penalties included in the new amendments to deter irresponsible driving. UP TO THREE YEARS' JAIL FOR DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENCE Under the amendments, the penalties for driving under disqualification, suspension and driving without a licence will also be enhanced. The biggest change are the proposed amendments to penalties for driving without a licence. Currently, first time offenders will face up to three months imprisonment and a S$1,000 fine, while second time offenders will face up to six months imprisonment and S$2,000 fine. The enhanced penalties will mean that those driving without a licence will face up to three years imprisonment and an S$10,000 fine for their first offence, and a six-year imprisonment and an S$20,000 fine for their second offence. READ: Motorists to face harsher penalties for serious offences as MHA reviews traffic laws TIGHTENING REGULATORY REGIMES The Traffic Police will now give motorists four weeks to file their appeals for licence suspension and revocation when they have exceeded the maximum allowable demerit points. After the four weeks, the Traffic Police will have the power to suspend or revoke the licence, even if an appeal is underway. “This is to prevent motorists from filing multiple appeals in order to delay the start of the suspension or revocation,” said the Traffic Police. In addition, for motorists who have accumulated five or more suspensions, the period of suspension will be increased from a maximum of three years to five years. Compounded sentences will also take effect, where the courts will be able to take into account a motorist’s driving history in dealing out sentences. “A motorist’s driving record is a useful indicator of his driving behaviour,” said the Traffic Police, when explaining the rationale for proposed change. ACCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS Under the new amendments to the Road Traffic Act, the definition of "animals" will also change. Currently, motorists are only required to stop, contact the owner and render assistance for certain species of animals, such as horses, cattle, pigs, goats and dogs. The Traffic Police has now expanded the definition to include all species of animals. Motorists would now be required to stop - providing it is safe to do so - the vehicle if he has “reasonable ground to believe that the animal involved in the accident has an owner or that the presence of the injured or dead animal on the road may pose a hazard to other road users”, said the Traffic Police. PUBLIC FEEDBACK The Ministry of Home Affairs noted broad public support for the proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act, through a series of public consultations conducted between February and March this year. In response to concerns that motorists would be held liable for accidents caused by victims, such as pedestrians, cyclists or PMD riders, the Traffic Police provided assurances that they would take into account the motorist’s driving behaviour. “When assessing whether a motorist should be held liable for an accident, Traffic Police will consider whether the motorist had been driving safely. “In addition, if the victim had engaged in risk-taking behaviour and violated traffic rules, Traffic Police will take the necessary enforcement action against him." Source: CNA/cc(rw)

here's the story Editor's jail, fine reduced 1 1/2-year jail term for dangerous driving reduced upon appeal By Selina Lum IT WAS a day of twists and turns for a newspaper editor in the High Court yesterday as she saw her 1 1/2-year jail term slashed to a day and her $12,000 fine reduced to $2,000. Changes after appeal THE FIRST CHARGE Causing the death of pillion rider Melania Melaniawati, 24, by dangerous driving. Maximum sentence under the law: Up to five years' jail. ... more Lim Hong Eng, the 56-year-old executive editor of Shin Min Daily News, was in court to hear the outcome of the appeal against her sentence for knocking down and injuring a motorcyclist and killing his female pillion rider. The appeal against her conviction was rejected, but the 1 1/2-year jail term dealt by a lower court was cut to a day's jail and a $12,000 fine on two charges. Then, later in the morning, defence lawyers and the prosecutor ran some checks and realised there had been a sentencing error in one of the two charges. The mistake was for the charge of causing death by dangerous driving, for which she was jailed a day and fined $10,000. The Road Traffic Act does not make a provision for a fine for this offence, only jail time. So it was back to court after the lunch hour. Justice Choo Han Teck set aside the $10,000 fine but did not increase the jail term, saying: 'In the circumstances, it will not be right to increase the custodial sentence to the detriment of the accused.' He made it clear, however, that this was a one-off case and was not to be used as a sentencing precedent. Lim will thus only have to go to jail for a day for the charge of causing death by dangerous driving, and pay a $2,000 fine for the other charge. Her counsel Subhas Anandan later told reporters that his client will donate $10,000 to charity. Really a shocker. Just goes to show some people can get away with anything, even when one's at fault.

It will soon be a crime for online vigilantes to publish someone else’s personal information with the intention to harass, threaten or facilitate violence against them, and victims of this offence – called doxxing – will be able to seek recourse from the law. Making doxxing a crime was among a slew of changes made to the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA), which was tabled in Parliament on Monday (April 1). Most of the changes focused on making it easier for victims of intimate partner violence – both married and unmarried – to seek protection by law. These include making breaches of protection orders an arrestable offence and extending protection and expedited protection orders to family members of the victims.​​ RISE IN DOXXING The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said in a statement that there has been an increasing trend of doxxing — publishing an individual’s personal information, such as photographs and contact details, with a view to harassing the person. The ministry did not provide statistics. “Often, this arises in the context of online ‘vigilantism’. The amendments will prohibit the publication of such personal information where it is done with an intention to harass the victim,” said the ministry. Under Section 3 of the amended POHA, those found guilty of intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress can be fined up to S$5,000 or receive a maximum jail term of six months, or both. Individuals guilty of creating fear or provocation of violence also face tougher punishment. They can be fined up to S$5,000 or receive a maximum jail term of 12 months, or both, double what they would have received under the old law. URGENT RELIEF FOR VICTIMS The courts will also be given an expanded scope of orders in relation to falsehoods, and victims of falsehoods will be able to apply for interim orders if they want false statements about them to be taken down urgently. Under the expanded powers, the courts will be able to issue general correction orders, similar to the ones found under the newly introduced Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill. Under general correction orders, where the false statement made has caused or is likely to cause serious harm to the victim’s reputation, a third party, such as the mainstream media, can be ordered to publish a correction to draw the public’s attention to the falsity of the statement or to a corrected statement. “As false statements can go viral extremely quickly, the courts will be empowered to make relevant interim orders to provide victims with urgent relief,” said MinLaw. This will come on top of the court’s existing powers to issue four types of orders: stop publication orders, correction orders, disabling orders and targeted corrections. Under a stop publication order, a publisher is required to take down a false statement and can be prohibited from publishing a substantially similar statement. A correction order directs the publisher to post a correction notice, while a disabling order requires Internet intermediaries to disable access to the statement. Victims of online falsehoods can file applications for interim orders at the new Protection from Harassment Courts, which will have oversight over all criminal and civil matters under POHA. The court, however, can also refuse to grant an interim order. Cases on interim orders will be heard within 24 hours from when the application is filed, but the process can take longer if the other party decides to challenge the victim’s interim order. In that event, the court will issue a final order about a month from the application date. CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this article, our headline and article said that the new crime of doxxing would carry a fine of up to S$10,000. The Ministry of Law has clarified that the maximum fine is in fact S$5,000. Note: These are only examples. Ultimately, whether a doxxing offence is made out depends on the context within which the identity information is published. The courts will interpret the law and decide each case based on its own facts. Source: Ministry of Law

Jail for Sammyboy Forum member who secretly filmed women in cafe toilet and had 2,103 obscene clips A digital marketing specialist went to a Holland Village cafe and installed a hidden camera shaped like a metal hook in its unisex toilet to record videos of unsuspecting women. Clarence Tang Jia Ming, 27, would later delete the videos of women who appeared to be more than 25 years old. Videos showing male patrons were also deleted, the court heard. Tang was sentenced on Thursday (March 21) to three years' jail. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to 30 counts of insulting a woman's modesty and one count of being in possession of 2,103 obscene films for the purpose of distribution. Forty-five other charges for similar offences were considered during sentencing. Tang, who committed the offences between 2014 and 2016, was the fifth and final man to be convicted in a case involving online groups that shared voyeuristic videos taken with hidden cameras in places such as public toilets and changing rooms. The four others were customer service officer Ong Yi Jie, 27; former sales engineer Joel Chew Weichen, also 27; fund accountant Shaun Lee, 29; and former security guard Ali V.P. Mohamed, 46. They had been jailed for between six months and three years. All five men were members of Sammyboy Forum, which is a predominantly sex-themed online site that contained hundreds of threads sharing obscene material. Tang registered an account on the forum in 2009 and five years later, he came across a thread in which Ong posted hidden-camera films he had recorded. The pair began to exchange private messages and Tang told Ong, who is also known as Kenneth, that he also wanted to make such clips. They met at the Holland Village cafe, where Ong taught him how to install the hook-shaped hidden camera in the toilet. After this meeting, Tang would go to the cafe and install the camera to capture videos of his unsuspecting victims. On Nov 11, 2016, the Ministry of Education reported to the police that it had received information on obscene videos circulating on the Internet of schoolgirls in toilets or changing rooms taken with hidden cameras. The clips were found on platforms such as Google groups and the Sammyboy Forum. Police raided Tang's home 18 days later and seized items, including two external hard drives containing the 2,103 obscene films. Tang is out on bail of $15,000. He was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on April 11 to begin serving his sentence. For each count of insulting a woman's modesty, he could have been jailed for up to a year and fined.

Jail for father who beat 9-year-old son with hanger over homework SINGAPORE: A 35-year-old man who subjected his nine-year-old son to a beating over homework was sentenced to four months' jail on Thursday (Dec 6). The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the boy's identity, pleaded guilty in June to one charge of ill-treating a child in his custody. The incident occurred at about 9pm on Aug 4 last year, when the man's 34-year-old wife left the house for dinner with her friends. She left her son in her husband's care, and the young child was seated at the dining table doing his homework while the accused was watching television. More than an hour later, the boy asked his father for help with his homework. The man told him to think of the answers on his own, and the boy gave several answers which were wrong. "The accused was angered by the victim's mistakes," said the prosecutor. He left the dining room, returning with a plastic hanger while his son begged him for leniency. He grabbed the boy's hand and yanked him forcefully from the chair, causing him to tumble onto the floor. He then pulled him up by his left leg, so that the boy was held upside down, and hit him on his buttocks and legs with the hanger, swinging it down "with his full strength", court documents said. The man then shouted at his son, who was lying on the ground in a daze. The boy told his father that he really did not know the answers to his homework questions, enraging him further. The accused kicked his son twice, shouting at him: "You know why you don't know, you're stupid!" He then threw the hanger at the boy and kicked him again before chasing him into the bedroom, where he hit the boy's buttocks with his hands. The assault on the boy was captured by a closed-circuit television camera mounted on a ledge in the dining room and was played to the court. A neighbour called the police at 10.43pm, saying that he heard a child crying out and he thought it was child abuse. When the boy's mother returned home, the child told her what happened and she retrieved the CCTV footage. The boy was admitted to hospital, where a medical report showed that he suffered multiple hematomas or bruises on his body, including hook-shaped ones measuring 3cm and 6cm. The couple is currently undergoing divorce proceedings. DEFENCE ASKS FOR PROBATION, SAYING RELATIONSHIP HAS IMPROVED Deputy Public Prosecutor Jotham Tay asked for four months' jail, saying that the facts were alarming. "It is clear that it was not done simply in a controlled manner for the purpose of discipline, but out of rage," he said. The man's defence lawyer, T U Naidu, asked instead for probation, saying that the relationship between the accused and the victim has "greatly improved". The accused has been attending counselling, he added, and the entire family is now close enough to assure the court that there will not be any chance of reoccurrence. "It is admitted that he lost his cool," said the lawyer. "My client is greatly remorseful. Any form of custodial sentence is going to affect what has been built up thus far between the (accused) and the son." Addressing the accused, who stood in the dock with his head bowed throughout the hearing, District Judge Eddy Tham said there was no excuse for the "totally disproportionate" actions, no matter how frustrated the accused had been with his son. He added that while he noted the improvement in the relationship, a message must be sent out on such violence by parents and caregivers, and said it was fortunate that the resulting injuries had not been more serious.

From the 154th media .... SINGAPORE - A parking officer skipped her patrols, claiming that she had to take care of her ailing grandmother - and tried to hoodwink her bosses by issuing summonses to motorists who had not broken any rules. To make them believe she was fulfilling her daily work quota, Noorasimah Jasman entered the registration numbers of vehicles without season parking tickets into an electronic record system, despite not knowing if they were even parked in the area she was meant to be patrolling. In what The Straits Times understands is the first case of its kind, she issued summonses totalling slightly over $1,000 to more than 30 motorists - before being rumbled by one of her victims. The 33-year-old was sentenced on Monday (Oct 15) to four weeks' jail after pleading guilty to 18 offences under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act. Thirty-six other charges for similar offences were considered during sentencing. Noorasimah committed the offences in June and July last year while working in the Choa Chu Kang area for Ramky Cleantech Services, which offers enforcement services involving carpark gantries and parking spaces. It managed several Housing and Development Board-owned parking spaces. At the beginning of her shifts, she would meet her team leader to collect a handheld scanner and a daily patrol accountability form. Noorasimah was supposed to record on the form the number of vehicles checked and the number of summonses issued for each carpark she patrolled. She was required to check at least 60 vehicles per carpark in order to meet her daily work quota. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Alfie Lim said that there was no quota on the number of summonses issued. She had to return the scanner and form after her shifts, the court heard. DPP Lim said that during her earlier patrols, Noorasimah managed to keep records of the registration numbers of vehicles that did not have season parking tickets. She keyed them into the Integrated Car Parks System (ICPS) - a parking offence management system maintained by the HDB, which Ramky officers had access to. DPP Lim told District Judge Kessler Soh: "The accused claimed that her grandmother, whom she takes care of, was in ill health around May 2017. Because she needed to care for her, the accused did not patrol the carparks assigned to her. "She... did not know if the vehicles had even been parked there, let alone if they had been parked in violation of parking rules. She thus caused the vehicle owner to be issued with summons in respect of parking offences which they had not committed." In June last year, a motorist received letters from the HDB over purported parking offences even though no one had driven her vehicle. She alerted the police and Noorasimah was caught. In all, 16 vehicle owners paid fines totalling $304 due to Noorasimah's scam. The HDB has since cancelled the remaining false summonses and refunded the fines. Noorasimah has lost her job. Defence counsel, Mr Chu Hua Yi, told the court that his client was deeply remorseful. She is out on bail of $10,000 and was ordered to surrender at the State Courts on Oct 31 to begin serving her sentence.

10 yrs for $5m only compare to .....

Seems like all the 51 men will go to jail. Some maybe run road liao. SINGAPORE: Former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, Howard Shaw, has been sentenced to 12 weeks jail for having paid sex with an underage girl. The 41-year-old grandson of the founder of Shaw Organisation admitted in June to paying a 17-year-old girl S$500 for sex in October 2010. From CNA.

so moody A WOMAN previously diagnosed to be suffering from kleptomania was jailed for six weeks and fined $4,000 on Friday for shoplifting. Goh Lee Yin, 30, unemployed, had pleaded guilty in May to two counts of theft of a Chanel bag worth $4,790 and an Emporio Armani sweater costing $610 in February and December last year respectively. A third charge of stealing a Gucci dress was taken into consideration. But while the former engineer was out on bail awaiting sentencing, she offended again by stealing $83 worth of items from the NTUC supermarket at Ang Mo Kio Hub on June 24. She has been in remand since June 25 as her court bail was revoked. On Friday, she admitted to the NTUC shop theft. Goh, the court heard, had been granted several chances at rehabilitation. For her offences in 2005 and 2006, she had been given probation by the High Court. She was last placed on 18 months' supervised probation in November 2007. The prosecution asked Community Court Judge Ng Peng Hong for at least 10 weeks' imprisonment on the three charges but her lawyer Choo Si Sen sought a six-week jail term saying she had learnt her lesson and could be rehabilitated. District Judge Ng backdated her sentence to June 25. The maximum sentence for theft in dwelling is seven years and a fine on each charge.

A retiree not only snatched a gold necklace off a woman, he was able to escape from two much younger pursuers. But police managed to trace him through his mobile phone which led to his arrest. On Monday, Woon Yin Meng, 78, was fined a total of $5,000 for theft and causing hurt to Madam Tang Sweet Kun, reports The Straits Times. A community court heard that Woon was living with his son in the Maysprings condominium in Bukit Panjang. On April 21 last year, while returning to the apartment at 8am, he noticed Madam Tang, 76, who was carrying bags of groceries and had a gold necklace around her neck. Woon followed her and at the void deck along Ganges Road, he grabbed her neck with his left hand and ripped off the necklace with the other hand. He also pushed her forward, causing her to fall to the floor and bruising her forehead. Two passers-by, aged 46 and 52 years old, cornered him but he threatened them with a kitchen knife and fled into the condominium. They gave chase but lost sight of him. Woon, however, dropped his mobile phone while getting away. Police used it to establish his identity and arrested him five hours later. He also dropped the necklace and it was never recovered. Its value could not be determined. Asking the court to impose a fine, defence counsel Sankar Saminathan said that Woon was a gambling addict and had committed the offences after his son refused to give him money. He had received counselling at the Institute of Mental Health and has stopped gambling, the lawyer added. In passing sentence, District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan said that he agreed with defence counsel that a jail term would not be appropriate and a high fine would suffice. The maximum penalty for theft is a three-year jail term and a $10,000 fine and for causing hurt is a two-year jail term and a $5,000 fine. The two charges for committing criminal intimidation by threatening the two bystanders with a knife were taken into consideration by the judge when passing sentence. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/78-year-old-retiree-fined-5000-snatching-necklace-and-injuring-victim-

Man faces jail and fine for harbouring prostitutes!! I did heard quite many doing this in flats last few years. It's a wave of making $$$ with HDBs. Hope the authority will go further to root out this. What other ways, we can help as good citizens? https://sg.news.yahoo.com/man-faces-jail-and-fine-for-harbouring-prostitutes-105944513.html

His parents want you to watch this video. 24 Sep 2015 - Michigan Man Jailed Over Traffic Fine Suffers 17 Days of Untreated Drug Withdrawal, Dies Naked on Cell Floor

Driver caused nine-vehicle pile-up on PIE http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/driver-caused-nine-vehicle-pile-pie-20150604

SINGAPORE - A self-employed man was sentenced to three weeks in jail on Monday for slapping teenage blogger Amos Yee outside the State Courts last month. Neo Gim Huah, 49, was charged in court on Monday. He was not represented and gave a long mitigation plea in Chinese, explaining why he did it. He told the court earlier he wanted to teach Yee a lesson. Neo, who runs his own air-conditioning and electrical engineering business, said he had taken offence at portions of the video posted online by Yee which he found disrespectful to Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. He closely monitored the case and intended to confront and slap the blogger before his first two court appearances as he felt that the teenager's actions had portrayed Singapore in a negative light. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Winston Man said Neo initially restrained himself and did not confront Yee until his third court appearance on April 30 when he realised the teenager had flouted his bail conditions. Neo also believed that it would be difficult for the criminal justice system to deal effectively with Yee because of his age. On the afternoon of April 30, he waited at the State Courts for Yee to arrive. He knew the media was present when he slapped the blogger, and deliberately committed the offence as he wanted the assault to be publicised "so that the world at large would know that the victim was being taught a lesson''. Neo was arrested at about 2am the next day. Arguing for a sentence of two weeks' jail, DPP Man said Neo's offence was pre-meditated and featured a strong element of vigilantism, which undermined law enforcement mechanisms and the criminal justice system. "Public confidence in law enforcement mechanics and the criminal justice system will also be eroded if there is a widespread perception that it is acceptable to take the law into one's own hands and resort to violence in order to address a perceived injustice,'' he said. Neo said in his mitigation letter that Yee had been disrespectful to Singapore's founding father and insulted him, making all of Mr Lee's contributions "worthless''. He said Yee, whom he described as a "clever child'', had let everyone down. "What I feel is what everybody is feeling," he said. Slapping him would instil fear in the teenager, let him know what the ways of the world are and teach him a lesson, Neo said. He said he knew it was wrong to slap Yee but could not control himself. He could be jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000. [email protected] - See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/man-pleads-guilty-slapping-teen-blogger-amos-yee-sentencing-will-b#sthash.GDcBYC4p.dpuf

Really sad case. The defendant is likely to have a faster recovery and integrate better into society if she is admitted into IMH and treated there, rather than spend 10 years in jail. Does the Public Prosecutor have a heart? Something very wrong with Singapore's judicial system. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/mum-who-pushed-son-out-of/1379930.html SINGAPORE: Feeling stressed out as she had been unemployed for some time and was financially dependent on her ageing mother, Rebecca Loh Chui Lai was worried about providing for her nine-year-old son. Believing that the authorities would remove him from her care if she injured him badly enough, Loh, who has schizophrenia, pushed her son out of the window of their fifth-floor flat, causing him to plunge to his death. For this, Loh, who has shown flashes of violent behaviour in the past, was on Wednesday (Sep 24) sentenced to 10 years’ jail. Loh had pleaded guilty to one charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304(b) of the Penal Code, which is for an offence committed knowing that it would likely cause death but without the intention of causing death, or cause a bodily injury likely to cause death. The maximum jail term for the charge is 10 years. Loh, a single mother, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2006 and had been warded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) on several occasions. The 32-year-old was initially charged with murder. She was determined to be mentally fit to stand trial, but the charge was later amended. Her son, Gabriel Loh Zhen Jie, was diagnosed with a liver condition shortly after his birth and suffered from osteoporosis. STOPPED TAKING MEDICATION The court heard on Wednesday that Loh was remanded at IMH from Feb 24 to Mar 10, 2011. She had been charged after she went to a coffee shop with a chopper, thinking that a stranger had made fun of her. Two weeks before the incident, she had stopped taking her medication. Later that year in December, Loh was admitted to IMH after she had hit her mother for not allowing her to go for a movie. She complied with follow-up treatment until April 2012, but stopped after that, saying travelling to IMH was a hindrance. She failed to keep her follow-up appointments at a community clinic. In February last year, she was admitted to IMH again after she tried to strangle her mother. On June 1 last year, Loh carried Gabriel from the living room to the kitchen window of her mother’s flat on West Coast Road. She then lifted him onto the small ledge outside the kitchen window and pushed his hands away as he cried and held on to the bamboo clothes-drying poles. She eventually managed to dislodge his grip and he fell to the ground. On Wednesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Lee urged the court to impose a jail term of eight to 10 years. “(Loh) needs to be incapacitated for a substantial period of time due to the high risk of her relapsing and the danger that she poses should she suffer a relapse,” he said. The prosecution also submitted a report by an IMH psychiatrist, which stated that Loh was at a moderate to high risk of future violence and had poor insight into her mental disorder. Lawyer Amarick Gill, who represented Loh, said this was not a classic case of culpable homicide. It involved an offender with a serious mental condition yet is of sound mind, and a victim who suffered greatly as a result of physical disabilities from birth, he said. In sentencing on Wednesday, Justice Tay Yong Kwang said he had taken Loh’s history, the hope of a complete recovery and the safety of those she comes into contact with into account. During the hearing, Loh smiled and mumbled to herself. Her family was not present. -TODAY/cy

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/negligent-drivers-who/1345462.html?cid=FBSG Finally, stiffer laws for negligent driving that causes death

A judge has come down hard on an 18-year-old accused of stealing part of the wreckage of Paul Walker's crashed Porsche following the accident that claimed the actor's life last year. Teenager Jameson Witty of Tujunga, California was sentenced to six months in jail on Thursday for the unconscionable act, after he and the second youth involved took a plea bargain. His 25-year-old accomplice, who lives outside of the state, is expected to be delivered the same fate when his sentencing takes place in October. The two young men were caught on camera picking off parts of the wreckage of the Porsche Carrera GT at around 10pm on the evening of November 30, 2013, after the tow truck removing it from the scene in Santa Clarita, California stopped at a set of traffic lights. Apparently hoping to cash in on the father-of-one's horrific death, the act was deemed heartless by many of the Fast & Furious star's fans. Having seen what happened, the tow truck driver headed straight for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, where he made a statement. It read: 'At one point the driver of the tow truck stopped at the red light E/B Newhall Ranch Road at McBean Parkway. A witness saw a male exit a vehicle that was following the tow truck. The male grabbed a piece of the wrecked Porsche off the tow truck bed. The male drove away with the stolen vehicle part.' Witty was held in lieu of $20,000 bond and the sheriffs recommended charges of grand theft and tampering with evidence. Of course, the 40-year-old wasn't the only one to perish in the fiery crash, which shocked the world. His long-time friend Roger Rodas, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident, also died on impact when the high-powered sports car spun out of control while driving around a corner, crashing into a concrete light polo and several trees before going up in flames. With Paul in the middle of filming the seventh installment in the hit action movie franchise at the time of his death, his brothers Cody and Caleb were brought in to help finish off his scenes, along with the use of CGI effects. Filming wrapped up just last month after production was delayed while the cast and crew came to grips with their loss and extensive rewrites were made. The film will hit cinemas on April 3 next year.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Si...328-336355.html SINGAPORE - A 23-year-old woman who drove without a licence was sentenced to four months' jail for causing the death of an elderly pedestrian. Candy Siow Pei Shan, a waitress, was also banned from driving for 10 years, The Straits Times (ST) reported. Siow, who was driving her boyfriend's car on Feb 12, 2011, lost control of the vehicle at the junction of Bukit Batok East Avenue 3 and Avenue 4, the court heard today. She was driving along Avenue 3 and attempted to make a right turn without stopping at the intersection. She panicked when she saw an oncoming vehicle and her car veered to the left, mounted the kerb and hit 70-year-old Tan Son Seng, who was on the pedestrian walkway, ST reported. Mr Tan was crushed between the car and a traffic light pole, and pronounced dead on the scene. Before the accident which took place in the morning, Siow had also drunk a substantial amount of alcohol between 12am and 5am. She had consumed brandy with her boyfriend at Club Axchange in Tanjong Pagar, and later brandy and beer at a club in the Esplanade. According to ST, Assistant Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan said as Siow had failed her driving test 13 times, she would have known that she was not competent to drive, yet she still chose to do so. Siow, who started sobbing when she was sentenced to jail, was also driving without insurance coverage at that time. WTF 4 months only????? WHAT A JOKE!