SINGAPORE: While serving his national service (NS) with the Singapore Police Force, Fahd Siddiqui showed his warrant card to a social escort and threatened to report her to the police unless she provided him with free sexual services.
Fahd, who was off-duty at the time, attempted the same thing with two other escorts a few days later.
For his actions, the 21-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to reformative training for at least six months last September. However, he filed an appeal seeking probation.
In a turn of events, a High Court judge instead decided to sentence him to a jail term of seven days.
In written grounds of decision released on Wednesday (Mar 13), Justice Tay Yong Kwang ruled that while probation was unsuitable for Fahd, he did not need to be placed in a “rigorous and structured” environment for rehabilitation.
Fahd was assessed to have a low risk of reoffending, had “positive achievements” in school and NS, and had “begun serious efforts to better himself” with the help of his family, the judge said.
Reformative training is a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.
FOUND ESCORT ON LOCANTO
Fahd pleaded guilty in the State Courts last April to a charge of corruptly attempting to obtain gratification to refrain from taking enforcement action.
A second charge involving the other two escorts was taken into consideration for the purposes of sentencing.
At the time of his offences in November 2022, he was deployed as a ground response force officer. He completed his NS duties on Jan 4 this year.
He had found the number of an escort on the e-classifieds website Locanto and asked about her sexual services. After agreeing on a price of S$400 (US$300) for her services, he went to her room at the Robertson Quay Hotel.
He then told her he was not interested because she was not the same person he had seen in the Locanto advertisement, and then left the room. He returned a short while later when an “agent” informed him over WhatsApp that the price could be lowered.
Upon his return, he showed the escort his warrant card and identified himself as a police officer. He told her he would report her unless they could reach some sort of “arrangement”. The arrangement he wanted was for the woman to provide him with free sex.
The escort did not agree and began to cry. She called her “agent” and Fahd left the room while she was speaking on the phone.
CORRUPTION MUST BE DETERRED: JUDGE
In the lower court, Fahd was assessed to be suitable for both reformative training and probation.
The latter does not result in a recorded criminal conviction and allows young offenders to continue with their education or employment while serving their sentences.
In deciding to impose reformative training, a district judge ruled that deterrence was an important sentencing consideration because the offences involved an abuse of police power and authority.
Fahd then lodged an appeal, contending that probation would be more suitable in balancing the need for both rehabilitation and deterrence.
Justice Tay agreed with Fahd’s lawyer that rehabilitation was an important consideration. He had shown remorse and good potential for reform, and stuck to a “trial probation” schedule that included keeping to a curfew.
Nevertheless, the judge noted that Fahd’s behaviour in flaunting his police powers was “reprehensible”.
“It did not matter that the appellant was not on official duty and was not in police uniform then. It also did not matter that he did not specify the offence (or offences) that the social escorts had allegedly committed,” said the High Court judge.
“What was important was that he showed his police warrant card and made clear his intentions.”
He noted that corruption or attempted corruption by errant police officers must be deterred so that the public can continue to trust law enforcement.
The judge also said that the sentencing consideration of retribution must be considered, given the special powers that police officers have.
This meant that probation was not suitable for Fahd.
However, Justice Tay said he was not satisfied that reformative training was appropriate either.
There was “nothing to suggest” that Fahd needed to be reformed and rehabilitated within a rigorous and structured environment for at least six months, the judge said.
He added that Fahd had “strong familial support”, with his family having relocated to Singapore from the Middle East “to be with him in his journey ahead”.
With that in mind, Justice Tay said that a short term of imprisonment would fulfil the need for deterrence and retribution while taking into account Fahd’s age when he committed the offences.
“It allows the appellant to receive his due punishment and then move on with his young life while emphasising to the public and to other law enforcement officers that the appellant’s conduct was totally unacceptable,” the judge added.
Fahd will begin serving his sentence on Mar 11 and remains out on bail.
Those convicted of corruption can be fined up to S$100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.