SINGAPORE: A man wanted to let his teenage daughter go to a Korean pop (K-pop) concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, but was concerned about her safety and wanted to help her skip the entrance queue.
He came up with a plan for his daughter to pose as a princess from the Selangor royal family, and to pretend to be a security guard escorting her to the concert.
Their ruse unravelled when the event organisers realised they were not in fact the princess and her security guard, and the man was fined S$5,000 (US$3,700) by a court on Monday (Jul 29).
The 49-year-old Singaporean man cannot be named as his underage daughter cannot be identified, according to the Children and Young Persons Act.
He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with his daughter to cheat by personation, with a second charge of wilful trespass being considered in sentencing.
“PRINCESS” AND HER GUARD
The court heard that the man’s daughter, who is 17, bought tickets for two Singapore shows of the Enhypen World Tour in January 2024.
Her father helped make up the ticket prices, which were for her and a friend.
On Jan 20, the offender called event organiser Anschutz Entertainment Group after finding their number online.
He told the organiser that a princess from the Selangor royal family would be attending the concert on Jan 20 and Jan 21, and had tickets.
Explaining that he was the princess’ bodyguard, the man told the event organiser that he did not have tickets to the concert. He asked for access to ensure the safety of the princess.
In response, the organiser asked the offender to turn up earlier on Jan 20 to facilitate his entry. The man then shared his ruse with his daughter.
According to court documents, he did this so that his daughter would not have to queue to enter the concert, and so that he could watch over her while she was there.
On Jan 20, the offender, his daughter and her friend went to the concert venue together.
The man was dressed in a suit to appear like a bodyguard.
When they arrived, the man told the event organiser that he was the bodyguard for the princess.
He was given a lanyard and two wristbands for special early entry for the two concert dates. The two teenage girls were not given special tickets or passes, as their tickets were valid.
During the concert, the man stood at the entrance area of the stadium where he could see his daughter in her seat.
After the concert ended, they left together.
However, an event manager at the Singapore Sports Hub began to feel suspicious about the offender and told the security team and the Singapore Indoor Stadium that he might not be who he claimed to be.
They later confirmed that his daughter was not the princess of Selangor. The event organisers lodged a police report.
When the trio returned the next day for the second concert, the police were called/
The prosecutor sought a S$5,000 fine for the man, saying he had benefited from being given access to the venue without a ticket.
However, she noted that he did not have “a nefarious reason” for his actions and no loss was suffered.
The man was unrepresented. He asked for a smaller fine and said his main concern was his daughter’s safety and said he truly regretted what he did.
For cheating by personation, he could have been jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.