Sales supervisor jailed a year for whipping and beating chef who 'tricked' his girlfriend

A sales supervisor who beat up a chef for trying to trick his girlfriend into giving him free sex was jailed for a year and ordered to be caned three times on Tuesday.

Melvin Koh Ting Ying, 30, stripped Mr Liaw Jin Yin from the waist down after finding him in a hotel room with 20-year-old student and social escort Claudia Tay Hsin Ye, who had stripped to her bra. He then whipped him with a belt, hit him with a torch and burned his thigh with a lighter and heated silver pendant.

Mr Liaw, 33, was left semi-conscious and with injuries including a broken rib.

At an earlier hearing, Koh admitted that he and his girlfriend had kicked and punched Mr Liaw. He also admitted stealing his two mobile phones worth a total of $1,200 and trying to bribe the hotel's security supervisor not to reveal his identity to authorities.

The court heard that Mr Liaw had posed as a woman who wanted to hire Ms Tay as a "sugar babe" for a man called Trevor, offering $15,000 for her services for one month.

After sending a screenshot purportedly showing a bank transfer of the sum - which never actually took place - Mr Liaw then posed as Trevor for the session with Ms Tay at Copthorne Kings Hotel on May 23 last year.

However Ms Tay was aware of the scam and alerted her boyfriend. Koh and two of his friends drove her to the hotel on Havelock Road, where Ms Tay and Mr Liaw booked a room.

Later she texted Koh and told him that Mr Liaw was touching her. Koh and his two friends entered the room, and he charged at Mr Liaw, raining punches and kicks at his head, chest and abdomen - even as the other two men tried to pull him away.

After the attack, Koh called the receptionist and alleged that his girlfriend had been raped - and that he had "hammered" the alleged rapist, who he had left in the room.

The hotel's security supervisor and night shift manager found Mr Liaw sitting on the floor, semi-naked and groaning in pain.

District Judge Lim Tse Haw also fined Koh $2,000 and said caning is subject to a medical review of Koh's spinal condition.

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