Marcus Ching (Page 251)

Warning: This story contains references to suicide.

SINGAPORE: A 16-year-old girl who was sexually abused by her father and watched her mother kill herself was subjected to further sexual grooming by a man who took her into his care.

The 39-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, sexually groomed the teenager on the guise of “healing” touch before sexually assaulting her on a regular basis.

He was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and nine strokes of the cane on Tuesday (Nov 28).

The man pleaded guilty to four counts of exploitative sexual penetration of a minor who is 16 or 17, with another nine charges taken into consideration.

This is the first prosecution for an offence of exploitative sexual penetration of a minor who is 16 or 17 under Section 376AA of the Penal Code.

The court heard that the girl, who is now 19, was 13 years old when her mother stabbed herself to death in front of her in 2017.

The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) diagnosed the girl as suffering from adjustment disorder with depressed mood as a result.

The girl’s father did not allow her or her siblings to mourn their mother or cry at her funeral as he felt she was not a good mother.

The girl’s father made her attend religious teachings as he wanted her to become a medium. However, the girl converted to another religion after her mother’s death, which made her father extremely unhappy.

The girl was sexually abused by her father in January 2018, several months after her mother died.

She overdosed on medication and was admitted to IMH, where she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

She was removed from her father’s care in March 2018 and placed in the care of a family friend, where she stopped engaging in self-harm.

However, this resumed in June 2018 after a close friend died by suicide.

In September 2018, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) placed the girl in a treatment centre that is designed to help teen girls who suffered trauma or abuse reintegrate back into society.

ACCUSED MEETS GIRL THROUGH CAMP

The accused, a married man with two sons, was a manager at a company which conducts camps for children.

He first met the victim in September 2018 when he ran a programme at the centre she was with.

He later suggested adopting the girl, with his wife’s agreement. His family was assessed to be suitable caregivers and began meeting the victim regularly.

The girl was very happy and excited when she heard of the family’s intention to adopt her, as she had never had a “real family” before.

She told her psychologist about her hopefulness for her future and said she was very happy that she had found a family that loved her.

The accused and his wife were briefed on the girl’s mental conditions and past trauma by her psychologist.

The girl began staying over at the offender’s home in December 2019 as part of “home leave”.

In September 2020, the man began preying on the girl sexually. He began by asking her to remove her clothes to participate in an “activity” using a mirror, then he molested her.

He would also molest the girl as she slept between him and his wife, and told the girl that “touch need not be sexual it could be for healing”.

The man began sexually assaulting the girl on an almost daily basis. The girl would experience panic attacks during the assaults.

While the adoption process was ongoing, he continued to sexually assault the girl, showing her pornography and making her perform sex acts.

In November 2020, when the girl was in the car with the offender, she asked him if she was still his daughter.

When he said she was, the girl asked him why he did not treat her like one.

She felt she was being used by the man, and that he was not being fair to his wife, the court heard.

IMPACT ON THE GIRL

She felt that she did not want to be romantically involved with anyone, get married or be sexually involved with anyone, as a result of the offender’s actions.

She also said she was “always filled with shame and guilt” after the sexual incidents and hated herself. 

She began self-harming again, having suicidal thoughts and overdosing.

On Nov 27, 2020, the girl sent the offender a message saying that she felt “empty and used”.

“You call me your daughter but I can’t forget the ways you didn’t treat me like one. You’re one of the biggest reasons why I want to die because I can’t live with myself like this and I can’t live with you,” she wrote.

At the time the man was assaulting her, he was still having intercourse with his wife, who got pregnant.

When the girl found out about the ectopic pregnancy, she had a panic attack worrying for the woman. An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb.

The offender’s wife subsequently had a miscarriage, and the victim blamed herself for it, feeling guilty over the sexual acts she had engaged in with the offender.

Eventually, she told her school teacher what happened, and the teacher lodged a police report.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Nicholas Khoo, Janice See and Ng Shao Yan asked for 12 to 15 years’ jail and caning for the offender, calling his conduct “depraved and exploitative”.

“After a traumatic childhood … the victim, a 16-year-old girl, was supposed to have finally found a sanctuary in the accused’s home,” said the prosecutors.

“However, it was not to be. The accused, a sexual predator, preyed on her vulnerability by sexually grooming her.”

The prosecution said the man defiled her youth and left her with “indelible mental scars”.

The penalty for exploitative sexual penetration of a person who is 16 but below 18 is a jail term of up to 15 years, with a fine or caning.

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The decision to award a Key will always be “a team decision, never a one-man-show,” added Poullennec, who says different inspectors are typically sent to evaluate the same properties to eliminate individual biases. To do this effectively, “we will go as many times as needed,” he saed. “It’s not a set amount because we are not an algorithm.”

THE SEA (AND SKY) IS THE LIMIT

Intriguingly, Poullennec suggests the Guide’s hotel (and Key) selection could, moving forward, potentially include non-traditional accommodations like yachts (or presumably even airborne vessels).

“What’s important is that it offers a singular experience and gives access to local life,” he said. One might also speculate that similar to its star ratings, the Guide may eventually differentiate its Keys, as well as recognise exceptionally “green” accommodations the way it does with its annual Green Star award, which honours restaurants with industry-leading sustainability practices.

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SINGAPORE: A mechanic cheated his friend into handing over more than S$22,000 (US$16,500) by lying to him that he could buy a heavily discounted Mercedes-Benz car for S$140,000, inclusive of Certificate of Entitlement (COE).

Tai Boon Huat, 48, was sentenced to eight months’ jail on Tuesday (Nov 28) for one count of cheating.

A second charge was taken into consideration as part of his guilty plea.

The court heard that Tai befriended the victim, a 43-year-old man, in early 2019.

At the time, the victim was considering investing in property.

The pair became friends and shortlisted and viewed property together.

In 2020, Tai told the victim that his company could buy Mercedes-Benz cars in bulk from Cycle & Carriage.

He told the victim that he could help buy one at a heavily discounted price from parallel importers.

This was a lie – Tai had no links to Cycle & Carriage, and he could not procure a Mercedes-Benz car at a discounted price.

At first, the victim was not keen on the idea, but Tai persuaded him until he agreed.

They agreed on a price of S$140,000 for a CLA 200 Mercedes-Benz, including COE and other taxes.

After the victim agreed to buy the car, Tai asked him to make payments to his bank account for additional fees such as administrative fees.

The victim complied and transferred a total of S$22,487 to Tai over 22 occasions between March 2020 and February 2021.

However, the victim did not receive the car. He lodged a police report in March 2022, saying he had been cheated.

Tai was arrested in May 2023 and has not made restitution to date.

The penalties for cheating are a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

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SINGAPORE: A serial upskirter who has been filming victims for 10 years struck again barely a year after being released from his latest jail term.

Tham Heng Yew, 31, cut another hole in his shoe and placed his phone in it to record videos before walking around a train station and a mall.

However, he was caught when a victim’s friend spotted his suspicious behaviour and confronted him, causing him to flee in panic.

Tham pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism on Tuesday (Nov 28).

The court heard that Tham was last sentenced to 10 months’ jail in November 2021 for similar offences.

On May 26 this year, he felt the urge to take voyeuristic videos again and made preparations.

He chose a pair of shoes and cut a hole in the left one. He tested the placement of the hole by inserting his spare phone into the modified shoe, with the camera lens facing up.

Tham then placed the footwear into a bag and set off for Jurong East MRT Station, where he slid the phone in the shoe before wearing it.

He walked around filming women, picking his targets before positioning his foot under their skirts.

He did so 11 times, taking videos of at least 12 women near the train station at Jem shopping mall.

Tham then went to a supermarket at the mall and targeted a 29-year-old woman.

However, the victim’s friend noticed Tham placing his foot under the victim’s skirt and asked him what he was doing.

Tham panicked and fled, with the victim’s friend giving chase and shouting for Tham to stop. He was eventually detained by a passer-by outside the mall.

Tham admitted his acts and asked the victim’s friend, who was also a woman, to give him a chance.

The woman called the police, who arrested Tham.

He told investigators that he had taken the videos despite knowing it was an offence as he was feeling depressed.

He said he wanted “to do acts that were thrilling enough to help him to reduce his stress and anxiety”, and he found voyeurism thrilling and felt excited when viewing the videos.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jotham Tay asked for 15 to 18 months’ jail for Tham.

Tham has two previous convictions – in November 2021 and March 2020.

The March 2020 conviction included more than a hundred charges.

DOING THIS SINCE 2013: PROSECUTOR

“Essentially, he has been doing this exact same scheme since 2013,” said Mr Tay. 

“What we have is an offender who is clearly recalcitrant. The gap in time between the reoffending behaviour is also short.”

He said Tham would have been released from his latest jail term of 10 months in mid-2022, which meant he reoffended after about a year.

Mr Tay said the modus operandi in this case was quite sophisticated, with premeditation as he had to cut a hole in his shoe and make sure the camera could record videos through the hole.

In mitigation, Tham, who was unrepresented, said he was very remorseful.

“Like what was mentioned, actually I was going through a very rough time for the past at least five years because of this voyeuristic disorder that I’m facing,” he said.

“Ever since that day, I’ve been struggling with regrets and I wish that I had done something else instead to cope with my emotions.”

He said he would accept the consequences, but planned to ask for a psychologist during his sentence.

“When I’m out, I plan on seeking treatment as I really do not wish for this issue to linger any longer than it already has, as it has affected my life very negatively,” said Tham. “I wish to change and not offend anymore.”

The judge asked for further submissions on sentencing and adjourned the case to December.

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SINGAPORE: An 18-year-old was among the 71 suspected drug offenders arrested during an islandwide operation conducted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

Drugs with an estimated street value of S$157,000 (US$117,600) were also seized, the bureau said in a news release on Tuesday (Nov 28).

This comprised a total of about 881g of heroin, 193g of Ice, 137g of cannabis and an Erimin-5 tablet. About S$22,580 in cash was also confiscated.

Some of the areas covered during the operation from Nov 19 to Nov 24 included Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok, Kallang and Punggol.

KNIFE, KNUCKLE DUSTER SEIZED

On the evening of Nov 19, CNB arrested a 24-year-old man for suspected drug offences near Pasir Ris Street 11.

The Singaporean had attempted to evade arrest by climbing out of a window of a residential unit on the second floor. 

He was eventually arrested on the ground floor and escorted to his residence where about 11g of Ice, various drug paraphernalia, a knuckle duster and a karambit knife were recovered.

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SINGAPORE: Singapore is starting technical studies for a decades-long project to integrate coastal protection measures with future reclamation plans on its east coast.

The “Long Island” concept could involve around 800ha of reclaimed land – nearly the size of 1,142 football fields – and potentially provide more opportunities for waterfront living and jobs.  

The reclaimed island, situated at East Coast Park’s shoreline, would be about twice the land area of Marina Bay, and would create an enclosed waterbody in front of East Coast Park, transforming it into a freshwater reservoir. 

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced the start of technical studies into the concept during a site-enhancement event at East Coast Park on Tuesday (Nov 28), where he planted a tree to kickstart a new 15km nature trail across the park. 

He spoke about the need for coastal protection measures in low-lying Singapore. 

“The concept of Long Island is to project coastal protection seawards, by reclaiming three new tracts of land, at a higher level, away from the current coastline. This will allow us to retain the existing East Coast Park, largely as it is,” said Mr Lee, noting that people wanted to retain the unimpeded access to the waterfront. 

The minister said Long Island would create opportunities for future generations of Singaporeans.

“They could build homes, create jobs, develop services and amenities that they need, and add around 20km of new coastal and reservoir parks, extending from the current East Coast Park. This will triple the length of the existing waterfront area along East Coast Park today.”

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