News ‘SG Nasi Lemak’ Telegram Chat group Case

[GachiMuchi]

Jail, S$26,000 fine for ‘SG Nasi Lemak’ chat group administrator who advertised sex

 

By LOUISA TANG Published MARCH 09, 2021
 

 

SINGAPORE — A 39-year-old man on Tuesday (March 9) became the first administrator of sex-themed Telegram chat group “SG Nasi Lemak” to be dealt with in court.

 

Liong Tianwei, a married father of two, was sentenced in a district court to nine weeks’ jail and a fine of S$26,000. He had posted advertisements for sex workers on the chat group.

 

When police raided his home in October 2019, they found more than 11,000 obscene images and videos on his electronic devices.

 

The chat group is no longer accessible but had more than 44,000 members when it was still active. Several women had called out the group after discovering their photos were shared there.

 

Between March 15 and Oct 3 in 2019, the police received 31 reports islandwide and arrested Liong, who was self-employed, with three others.
 

Two of them have been sentenced to probation for distributing obscene material in the group, while the case of another administrator — Leonard Teo Min Xuan — is pending.

 

Liong pleaded guilty on Tuesday to six charges in total, including two under the Women’s Charter as well as possession and transmission of obscene material. Eight other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

 

CHAT GROUP CREATED IN NOVEMBER 2018

The court heard that 29 members of SG Nasi Lemak, which was created in November 2018, had administrative rights. Liong used the moniker “Crazy Rich Asian” in the group.

 

He had developed a close relationship with a sex worker from China in 2016, whom he frequented often.

 

She then introduced him to another China national known as Hua Ge, who asked Liong to help him promote female China sex workers featured on a vice website known as “sex727”.

 

Liong agreed, downloading pictures, posts and videos from the website to repost on various social media platforms.

 

Between 2016 and when he was arrested, he posted advertisements of the women on a Twitter account. He mainly used his Asus laptop to download the material, and used his Samsung mobile phone to retweet or check responses to the Twitter posts.

 

When the SG Nasi Lemak chat group was formed, he posted advertisements there with his iPhone.

 

He received weekly payments in cash for his services, ranging from S$300 to S$800, collected from different mainland China women.

 

At about 4am on Oct 14, 2019, the police conducted a coordinated operation. Liong was arrested at his Marine Parade residence and his electronic devices were seized.

 

He was highly uncooperative at first and refused to provide passwords or access codes for the devices.

 

When his case was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department’s Specialised Crime Branch, he gradually became more forthcoming and eventually provided the code for his Telegram account, in order to access SG Nasi Lemak.

 

JUDGE DENIES GAG ORDER

In mitigation, Liong’s lawyer RS Bajwa said that he had merely uploaded obscene material “along with everyone else in the group”.

 

“He shouldn’t have done it,” the lawyer acknowledged.

 

He also later asked the court to grant a gag order preventing the media from publishing Liong’s photograph.

 

Liong’s wife had asked for this, Mr Bajwa said, because the couple have two young sons aged nine and 11 who are “very impressionable” and would be “very embarrassed and ridiculed if he was identified”. This was despite his photo already having been published recently.

 

“A gag order is to protect young children, usually a victim. In this case, it’s to protect his own children from what he has done,” Mr Bajwa added.

 

While Deputy Public Prosecutor Huo Jiongrui initially did not object, he clarified that there was no legal authority to prevent Liong’s photo from being published.

District Judge Janet Wang agreed, telling the court: “Unfortunately, the risk of embarrassment or public shaming is an inevitable consequence of the accused’s wrongdoing.”

 

[GachiMuchi]

Probation for 18-year-old student who shared obscene videos in ‘SG Nasi Lemak’ chat group

By DARYL CHOO   Published DECEMBER 02, 2020

 

Social Media

 

SINGAPORE — An 18-year-old student was sentenced on Wednesday (Nov 2) to a year’s probation after admitting that he had shared obscene videos in the now-defunct “SG Nasi Lemak” Telegram chat group.

 

He is the second person to be prosecuted in relation to the chat group, in which tens of thousands of members shared obscene videos and photos of mostly Singaporean girls.

 

The student had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing 59 obscene films on his computer's hard disk. He had also admitted to being a member of SG Nasi Lemak.

 

Two other charges of sending a photo of nude women to the chat group and possessing 388 obscene images for the purpose of transmission were considered in sentencing on Wednesday.

 

The teenager can no longer be named in news reports because of recent amendments to the Children and Young Persons Act, which now covers persons <Banned Words> years old.

 

As part of his sentence, he must remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day for a year and perform 40 hours of community service. His parents were bonded for S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour.
 

The student is the youngest of four men arrested in islandwide raids in October last year by the police, after they received 35 reports about the chat group.

 

The three others charged last year in relation to this case were Liong Tianwei, 38; Leonard Teo Min Xuan, 27; and Justin Lee Han Shi, 20. Lee was sentenced to a year’s probation in October.

 

The other two cases are still pending before the court.

 

Liong and Teo are accused of being the chat group’s administrators. The chat group is no longer accessible but had more than 40,000 members when it was still active.

 

A check by TODAY last year had found individuals selling illegal items such as e-cigarettes, other vaping devices, duty-unpaid cigarettes and sexual performance drugs in the chat group as well.

 

Adult offenders convicted of transmitting or possessing obscene material can be jailed up to three months or fined, or receive both penalties.
 

Those convicted of possessing obscene films can be jailed up to six months or fined up to S$20,000, or both.

 

[GachiMuchi]

20-year-old pleads guilty to sharing obscene videos in sex-themed ‘SG Nasi Lemak’ chat group

 

Published September 18, 2020

 

Social Media

 

SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old man on Friday (Sept 18) became the first person to admit to his involvement in the now-defunct SG Nasi Lemak Telegram chat group, where obscene videos and photos of mostly Singaporean girls were shared.

 

Justin Lee Han Shi, a Singaporean, pleaded guilty in a district court to one charge of possessing 462 obscene films.

 

Two other charges of transmitting pornographic material and possessing obscene images will be taken into consideration for sentencing on Oct 16.

District Judge A Sangeetha called for a report to assess if Lee is suitable for probation. This is usually offered to offenders under 21 and allows them to continue with their education or employment while serving their sentences.

 

Lee, represented by lawyer Ramesh Tiwary, is currently out on bail.

 

Along with Lee, three others were charged last year in relation to this chat group — Liong Tianwei, 38; Leonard Teo Min Xuan, 27; and a 17-year-old teenager whose identity is protected by the Children and Young Persons Act.
 

 

Their cases are still pending.

 

Liong and Teo are accused of being the group’s administrators. It is no longer accessible but had more than 40,000 members when it was still active.

The SG Nasi Lemak chat group was thrust into the spotlight late last year when several women discovered their photos there.

 

The court heard on Friday that the police received information about the group on March 19 last year.

 

On Oct 14, police officers raided Lee’s home and seized several electronic devices, including mobile phones and a laptop.

 

He also admitted to being a member of SG Nasi Lemak.
 

When forensic examiners went through his devices, they extracted 1,131 images from his hard disk and 790 videos from one of his mobile phones and his laptop.

 

A total of 462 videos and 556 images were classified as obscene.

 

Lee admitted that he downloaded all the images and videos online and stored them for his personal consumption.

 

Between January 2019 and the day he was arrested, he forwarded obscene videos to other members in the SG Nasi Lemak chat group upon request.

Adult offenders convicted of transmitting or possessing obscene material can be jailed up to three months, fined or receive both penalties.

 

Those convicted of possessing obscene films can be jailed up to six months, fined up to S$20,000 or receive both penalties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by GachiMuchi

[GachiMuchi]

Probation for youth who forwarded obscene videos in SG Nasi Lemak chat group

 

By LOUISA TANG  Published OCTOBER 16, 2020
 

Nuria Ling/ TODAY

Justin Lee Han Shi (pictured) was found to have 462 obscene videos and 556 images in his electronic devices.

 

SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old man received a year’s probation on Friday (Oct 16) for sharing explicit content in the now-defunct SG Nasi Lemak Telegram chat group.

 

Justin Lee Han Shi admitted last month to forwarding obscene videos to other members in the chat group upon request. He is the first of four men to be prosecuted for their involvement in this group.

 

The chat, where videos and photographs of mostly Singaporean girls were shared, came to light late last year when several women discovered their photos there.

 

The authorities then found 462 obscene videos and 556 images in Lee’s electronic devices.

 

Probation is usually offered to offenders under 21 and allows them to continue with their education or employment while serving their sentences.

As part of his probation conditions, Lee will have to perform 40 hours of community service and remain indoors from 11pm to 6am.

 

His parents posted a bond of S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour over the next 12 months.

 

District Judge A Sangeetha warned Lee that he can be sentenced again for his offences if he re-offends.

 

Along with Lee, the three others charged last year in relation to this chat group are Liong Tianwei, 38; Leonard Teo Min Xuan, 27; and a 17-year-old teenager whose identity is protected by the Children and Young Persons Act.

 

Their cases are still pending before the court.

 

Liong and Teo are accused of being the chat group’s administrators. The chat is no longer accessible but had more than 40,000 members when it was still active.

 

POLICE ACTED ON TIP-OFF

Lee pleaded guilty last month to one charge of possessing 462 obscene films with two other charges of transmitting pornographic material and possessing obscene images taken into consideration for sentencing.

 

The court heard then that the police received information about the group on March 19 last year.

 

On Oct 14 last year, police officers raided Lee’s home and seized several electronic devices, including mobile phones and a laptop.

 

When forensic examiners went through his devices, they extracted 1,131 images from his hard disk and 790 videos from one of his mobile phones and his laptop.

 

A total of 462 videos and 556 images were classified as obscene.

 

Lee admitted that he downloaded all the images and videos online and stored them for his personal consumption.

 

Between January 2019 and the day he was arrested, he forwarded obscene videos to other members in the chat group.

 

Adult offenders convicted of transmitting or possessing obscene material can be jailed up to three months or fined, or receive both penalties.

 

Those convicted of possessing obscene films can be jailed up to six months or fined up to S$20,000, or receive both penalties.
 

Edited March 9, 2021 by GachiMuchi

[GachiMuchi]

Four men arrested for allegedly circulating obscene materials via Telegram
Published  NOVEMBER 08, 2019

Reuters file photo

Police received a report on Oct 24 against the Telegram chat group "Sam's lots of CB collection" for circulating obscene materials.

 

SINGAPORE — Four men have been arrested for their suspected involvement in circulating obscene materials through a Telegram chat group, said the police in a news release on Friday (Nov 8).

 

Police received a report on Oct 24 against the chat group "Sam's lots of CB collection" for circulating obscene materials.

 

Following investigations, police were able to identify the men and arrested them on Wednesday.

 

The four men are aged between 26 and 45. Three of them are administrators of the chat group, while the fourth man advertised the sale of obscene materials in the group.

 

More than 15 electronic devices — including a central processing unit, laptops, hard disk drives and mobile phones — were also seized by police.

Investigations are ongoing.

 

If convicted for circulating obscene materials, the men could be punished with up to three months in prison or a fine, or both.

 

"Members of the public are advised to stop soliciting in any lewd website or joining such online platforms and illicit chat groups," said the police in their statement.

 

“The Police take a serious view of anyone involved in criminal activities and will continue to take tough enforcement actions against those breaking the law,” they added.

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by GachiMuchi

[GachiMuchi]

Second Telegram chat group investigated by police for circulating obscene photos

 

By KIMBERLY LIM
Published OCTOBER 21, 2019

 

REUTERS

At the time of the report, the Telegram group had been around for less than a month and members had already shared some 5,000 photos and videos.

 

SINGAPORE — The Police are investigating another Telegram chat group in which members allegedly shared obscene photos of girls and women without their consent.

 

This comes just a week after four men were charged in court last Tuesday (Oct 15) for running a similar Telegram chat group, called “SG Nasi Lemak”, which had over 40,000 members.

 

This latest chat group to be investigated is called “SharingIsCaring”.

 

According to an AsiaOne report published last week, the group, which was private and could only be joined by invitation from an existing member, had over 100 members.

 

At the time of the report, the group had been around for less than a month and members had already shared some 5,000 photos and videos.

The group can no longer be found on Telegram.

 

Aside from lewd photos, the group members also swapped pictures of unsuspecting schoolgirls on public transport, AsiaOne reported.

 

The police told TODAY in a statement on Monday (Oct 21) that they are aware of the group and are looking into the matter.

 

The police said that the circulation of obscene materials is an offence under Section 292 of the Penal Code.

 

“Members of the public are advised not to join any online platform that circulates obscene materials and illicit chat groups. The police take a serious view of anyone involved in criminal activities and will continue to take tough enforcement actions against those breaking the law,” they said.

 

Anyone who transmits by electronic means any obscene materials may be liable to a jail term of up to three months, a fine, or both.

 

Anyone with information on the chat group is requested to call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online via http://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

 

 

[GachiMuchi]

Administrators of ‘SG Nasi Lemak’ Telegram group to be charged with distributing obscene materials

By ASYRAF KAMIL  Published OCTOBER 15, 2019

 

Social Media

The SG Nasi Lemak chat group, which is no longer accessible, is said to have had tens of thousands of members, some of whom shared obscene photos and videos of women.

 

SINGAPORE — Four men who are suspected to be involved in distributing obscene materials and promoting vice activities through a Telegram chat group named “SG Nasi Lemak” will be charged in court on Tuesday (Oct 15).

 

The police said in a statement that they have arrested the men, aged between 17 and 37, after several reports were made against the chat group.

The suspects were identified following investigations by officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division, who then arrested them at “various locations islandwide” on Oct 14.

 

Two men, aged 26 and 37, are said to be the administrators behind the chat group, while a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old are alleged to be the distributors of the obscene photos and films.

 

More than 10 electronic devices, including a central processing unit, a laptop, a hard-disk and several mobile phones, were seized as case exhibits.

If convicted, the four men could be jailed for up to three months, or fined, or both.

 

Recently, several women have reported finding their photos published on the “SG Nasi Lemak” Telegram group.

 

The chat group, which is no longer accessible, is said to have had tens of thousands of members, some of whom shared obscene photos and videos of women.

 

The police advised members of the public to stop soliciting on any lewd website or joining such online platforms and illicit chat groups.

 

“The police take a serious view of anyone involved in criminal activities and will continue to take tough enforcement actions against those breaking the law,” they said.

 

[GachiMuchi]

Man, 26, pleads guilty to amassing obscene videos of women using toilets at Starbucks in Holland Village, polytechnic
 

By WONG PEI TING  Published AUGUST 23, 2018

 

Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

Tang Jia Ming Clarence is seen leaving the State Courts on August 23, 2018.

 

SINGAPORE — A 26-year-old regularly planted hidden cameras at a Starbucks cafe in Holland Village, which is popular with young adults, so that he could get video footages of women using the toilet.

 

Digital marketing specialist Clarence Tang Jia Ming also secretly filmed a number of his female friends showering in the bathroom of his home at Loyang Rise in Pasir Ris, and set up a camera at one of his friends' house as well.

 

Pleading guilty to 31 charges on Thursday (Aug 23), Tang is the last of five members of the online forum site Sammyboy to be prosecuted, after the Ministry of Education lodged a police report on Nov 11, 2016 upon finding obscene videos of girls in school uniforms circulating on the predominantly sex-themed site and other websites.

 

Charges proceeded against Tang, who is known by the user name "zidy" on Sammyboy, included one count of possession of more than 2,000 obscene films for the purposes of distribution and 30 counts of insulting the modesty of a woman.

 

Forty-five other similar charges will be taken into consideration during Tang's sentencing, which is likely to take place next year. This is because a Newton hearing has been scheduled for his case since there were conflicting accounts on whether he is suffering from a psychiatric disorder. Such a hearing is for experts from both the prosecution and defence to give evidence and be cross-examined in court, to resolve disputed points before a sentence is decided.

 

Tang's psychiatrist diagnosed that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and had a change in personality. This finding is challenged by the Institute of Mental Health's psychiatrist Kenneth Koh, the prosecution's witness.

 

Tang is to return to court for a pre-trial conference on Sept 4. The Newton hearing is set for Jan 18 next year.

 

On Thursday, the court heard that Tang had been a Sammyboy member for five years since 2009 before he started becoming interested in making "films" using hidden cameras.

 

He worked with another forum user, Kenneth Ong Yi Jie. Earlier in February, Ong, 27, a customer service officer, was jailed three years for insulting the modesty of at least 250 women and girls, and for possessing 57 obscene films with the intent to distribute them online.

 

Ong went by the name of "Peterwong SG" and frequently posted many obscene videos shot in Singapore, so much so that Tang asked if he could teach him how to fix up hidden cameras.

 

Some time in 2014, Tang met Ong at the Starbucks outlet in Holland Village to learn how to embed a hidden camera — which was in the shape of a metal wall hook — in the cafe's unisex toilet.

 

Ong showed that the hook camera could be pasted onto the wall with double-sided tape, and told Tang that there was a particular wall tile on which the camera should be pasted, in order to get the best angles.

 

After installing the camera, the duo waited for about 90 minutes before Ong retrieved the camera and downloaded the footages onto his laptop.

Ong then gave a hook camera to Tang, who used the device to record more than 70 clips of different unsuspecting women showering or relieving themselves between 2014 and 2015 — at the same Starbucks cafe, his home, or at a female toilet in Ngee Ann Polytechnic used mostly by students who study nursing.

 

Tang was caught on Nov 29 in 2016, when the police raided his home.

 

The first two times Tang planted the cameras on his own, he would send the footages to Ong over Skype. Ong would edit the videos and label them before preparing them for online circulation.

 

Later, Tang would edit and label his own videos before sharing them with Ong. During editing, Tang would delete the obscene videos of men or women who looked older than 25 years old.

 

FILMING HIS FRIENDS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Tang did not spare his female friends. On one occasion in 2014, he knew that a 22-year-old friend would be visiting, so he placed a hidden camera inside his bathroom, which captured the shower area. The friend ended up showering at his place, unknowingly compromising herself in the process.

On another day, another female friend was also filmed under similar circumstances.

 

As for the camera he planted at his friend's house, which he visited often over weekends, he installed it sometime in 2015. The camera captured his friend's family members showering.

 

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Li Yihong described Tang as being "skilled in camera placement" and who took "numerous" videos of unsuspecting victims in school uniform or attire.

 

The victims were identifiable because, as she noted, the recordings were in colour and of "very high quality and resolution", and viewers could hear what the women or girls were doing or saying. The recording angles clearly captured their faces when they were seated, as well as their private parts when they stood up to clean themselves.

 

DPP Li also noted that the cameras could be controlled remotely to switch between video-recording, photo-taking and motion-sensing modes.

For his 30 charges of insulting the modesty of a woman, Tang could be jailed up to one year per charge and fined.

 

The charge of possessing obscene films for the purpose of distribution carries a maximum penalty of two years' jail and a S$80,000 fine.

Three other men — sales engineer Joel Chew Weichen, 27; unemployed man Ali V P Mohamed, 46; and fund accountant Shaun Lee, 28 — received jail terms of between six months and two years for their offences.