A construction worker who molested a 12-year-old boy in a public toilet was jailed for six months on Wednesday.
Indian national Ravikumar Sathish, 20, admitted using criminal force to outrage the youngster’s modesty at a male toilet in Tampines Mall on March 2.
A court heard that the boy had been having dinner with his mother when he went to use the loo.
As he walked out, Sathish bumped into him and grabbed his private parts.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
A 40-year-old housing agent has been arrested for his suspected involvement in unlicensed moneylending targeting Housing and Development Board flat sellers.
Police said today (April 1) that the suspect had loaned S$30,000 each to three persons in the process of selling their flats. The sellers later had to repay their loans after completing the sale of their flats at interest rates of between 233 per cent and 260 per cent.
The suspect will be charged in court tomorrow for offences under the Moneylenders Act 2010 (Revised Edition). First time offenders found guilty of carrying on the business of moneylending in Singapore without a licence may be punished with a fine of between S$30,000 and $300,000 and with imprisonment up to four years.
Source: www.todayonline.com
The former manager of Indonesian child star Tegar Septian has been arrested by the police here after two reports were made alleging sexual harassment.
The latest report was lodged on Tuesday by Tegar, 13, who accused Singaporean Arif Dollah, 29, of molesting him “about six to seven times” in the man’s home here from the middle of last year until March 31.
An earlier report, filed in February by local singer Sufie Rashid, alleged sexual abuse by Arif, inflicted in 2003.
Speaking at a press conference with Tegar on Wednesday, Mr Sufie told reporters that he decided to speak up only after more than a decade when he learnt of Tegar’s case, adding that he felt the need to help make sure justice was dealt and Arif would not be able to commit the offences again.
The accusations against Arif first started in February, after Tegar revealed to his parents Arif’s inappropriate behaviour, said the teenager’s label director, Mr Donald Kusumo of Harpa Records.
“I was scared and worried,” Tegar told reporters, explaining why he had not spoken up earlier about the abuse.
Police reports were filed in early March with the Indonesian police on the alleged sexual harassment by Arif, as well as the theft of Tegar’s property, including the singer’s passport.
Arif is said to have made Tegar shower together with him, and sleep in his underwear in the same bed.
There were also other worrying acts, said Mr Donald, such as how Arif would restrict Tegar’s communication with the teen’s family and the label, and find ways to be alone with Tegar. During one overseas trip late last year, Arif and Tegar remained inexplicably unaccounted for – for almost three weeks, added Mr Donald.
By the end of January, Arif’s services had been terminated and, shortly after, the scandal grabbed headlines in Malaysia and Indonesia, where Tegar – a street busker before he was discovered – is popular.
Arif has since denied all wrongdoing. Speaking to The Straits Times this week, he called the whole situation a publicity stunt, and that he suspected Tegar was being “forced” to spout such untruths. The last correspondence he had with Tegar was a text message from the teenager asking that Arif cook some food for him.
“This means he values and appreciates me,” said Arif, adding that he has been unemployed since leaving his position as Tegar’s manager, and has even received anonymous death threats.
“There was no problem with me and Tegar… I was doing the job of a father and a mother to this boy… Then suddenly this happens.”
Source: www.straitstimes.com
Programmes about the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, will be made available on DVD, said MediaCorp on Wednesday (Apr 1), after the media company said it received overwhelming requests to make them available on DVD for purchase.
The programmes were broadcast during the period of National Mourning, following his passing on Mar 23, 2015.
The three-part documentary, Time Nor Tide, was part of a series of special programmes to commemorate Mr Lee’s life and legacy. The series traces Mr Lee’s life and work from the time he entered politics, and includes exclusive archive footage and interviews with local and international personalities.
Special box set editions of Time Nor Tide in English and Mandarin will be available at S$24.90 from Monday, Apr 6, 2015. They will be sold at all Poh Kim Video outlets and POPULAR/CD-RAMA stores. For bulk orders (above 100 copies), members of the public can email [email protected].
A set of these programmes in Malay and Tamil will be available for purchasing two weeks later.
In honour of Mr Lee’s lifetime contributions to the nation, MediaCorp is donating the net proceeds of the first public sale of DVDs to the Community Chest.
The documentaries are also available for viewing online on Toggle, and on Channel NewsAsia’s website.
MediaCorp is also planning to produce other programmes on Mr Lee Kuan Yew on DVD. These include In His Own Words, a six-part series of his key speeches over the years; and Forging A Nation, a compilation of short stories capturing significant moments and issues in Singapore’s history.
These DVDs will be released by end-April 2015. Further information about these titles will be available soon.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
Four years after re-instating football in the school’s curriculum, St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) claimed their first football title in 30 years when they beat Queensway Secondary School 1-0 in the final of the National Schools’ South Zone B Division Football Championship at SAFRA Tampines today (April 1).
The goal separating the two sides came in dramatic fashion in the dying minutes of extra time when, freed by midfielder Elliot Ng on the right, Nasrul Matin delivered a cross for the unmarked Jared Ng to tap the ball past Queensway keeper Ismail Aung Htun Thu.
But SJI were left on edge when Mari Martinez was sent off for two senseless infringements, including a handball that gave Queensway the opportunity to take the match into extra time.
However, Queensway, the better side for most of the match, failed to convert the free kick as referee Victor Teo blew the final whistle.
SJI’s victory capped four years of hard work by former LionsXII assistant coach and national defender Kadir Yahaya, who was hired in 2012 to help SJI build a decent footballing side after they dropped the sport in 2000.
They were quick to announce their return, reaching the South Zone C Division Final the following year, but lost 2-1 to Serangoon Garden Secondary School. That defeat only strengthened the team’s resolve to work harder.
“My team is not as skilful as Queensway, but this is the same team that played in the C Division final two years ago and what got them the winners’ trophy in the end boiled down to sheer hard work,” said Kadir.
“What has been equally important is that the school did not interfere in my work and this gave me a lot of room to implement my training programme.”
Better known for its rugby teams, SJI took football off its list of co-curricular activities in 2000, citing declining interest and resource constraints.
It returned after the SJI Old Boys alumni called for its reinstatement, said Bernard Teo, the teacher-in-charge of football at SJI.
“There is renewed interest in football at the school with a different crop of students we are getting at SJI,” he said.
“They have shown more discipline to work hard for the sport and are achieving things and this is good for the school.”
Source: www.todayonline.com