Ting Hsiao-chin turns herself in after 6 days

Ting Hsiao-chin (above)

Taiwanese singer and television personality Ting Hsiao-chin has turned herself in after running from the law for six days.

Ting, who had been sentenced to 2½ years' jail for scamming online consumers into buying counterfeit luxury goods, was spotted by the Taiwanese media at the New Taipei District Prosecutor's Office yesterday morning.

The prosecutor's office told Taiwan's Apple Daily that Ting, 41, was later taken to the Taipei Women's Detention Centre and would be transferred to Taoyuan Women's Prison at the earliest today.

Ting is known for dating boy band 5566's Tony Sun for about five years before they broke up in 2008.

She released two albums in 1999 before becoming a "guest artist" who appeared on variety programmes such as Gossip Queen (2005 to 2013), Mr Con & Ms Csi (2004 to 2016) and Queen (2003 to present).

Ting became a wanted criminal last Wednesday after she failed to surrender herself to serve her jail term. Her request to postpone serving her sentence had earlier been rejected.

Ting's father told the Taiwanese media that Ting, who lived with her mother, had wanted the postponement as she was taking care of her mother, who is ill.

Last Wednesday, the police went to Ting's registered address after she failed to show up at the prosecutor's office, but they could not find her.

An arrest warrant was then issued for Ting.

She is not the only celebrity in Taiwan who has legal troubles recently.

Internet celebrity Edward Sun, the son of prominent entertainers Sun Peng and Di Ying, was charged in August with attempting to manufacture firearms in the United States.

This came after he was deported from the country in late 2018 for threatening to carry out a mass shooting at the high school he attended in Philadelphia. Edward Sun faces up to seven years in jail if convicted.

In April, prominent Taiwanese director Doze Niu was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually assaulting a female crew member of a film that he was making.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 02, 2020, with the headline Ting Hsiao-chin turns herself in after 6 days. Subscribe