Man jailed for posting ex-girlfriend's obscene photo on model agency's Facebook page

Kwek Jian Zong admitted to hacking into his ex-girlfriend's account and posting obscene pictures of her online. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - A man who posted an obscene picture of his former girlfriend on the Facebook profile page of a modelling agency where she worked was jailed on Tuesday (Feb 2).

Kwek Jian Zong admitted to transmitting an obscene object by electronic means; hacking into his ex-girlfriend's Facebook account; and helping a loanshark make electronic banking transactions using a Post Office Savings Bank Go! Mastercard.

The 25-year-old was given a jail term of three months for posting the obscene photo, and another 10 weeks' jail and a fine of $30,000 for helping a loanshark. Five other charges were considered.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Suhas Malhotra said Kwek and the 27-year-old female victim had known each other since 2003, and they became romantically involved five years later.

In June 2010, the woman went to his home to use his computer. He was standing behind her when she logged into her Facebook account, and memorised her password. After she had left, he copied her e-mail address and typed her password into a Word document and saved it in his computer.

From then on, he logged into her Facebook account on numerous occasions without her knowledge nor consent.

During their relationship, he took sexually explicit photographs of her, with her consent.

After she started work for a 52-year-old model agency owner in October 2010. Kwek's relation with her started deteriorating and they broke up in August the following year.

Believing that she and the owner were in a relationship, Kwek told her several times to quit and to break up with the owner.

He called her on various occasions and asked her for sex. If she refused, he would threaten to circulate her naked photographs on the Internet.

Shortly after, she changed her phone number and he could not contact her.

On Nov 29, 2011, he logged into her Facebook account and posted a picture showing her exposed breasts on the modelling agency's Facebook profile. It did not show her face.

The owner lodged a police report the next day.

Sometime in April 2013, Kwek borrowed money from an unlicensed moneylender known as "Adrian''.

When he could not repay his loan, he worked for "Adrian'' from May 2013. He used his bank account and the debit and credit cards linked to the account to perform electronic monetary transactions on the loanshark's behalf.

Kwek could have been jailed for up to three months and/or fined for transmitting an obscene object.

For computer misuse, he could have been fined for up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to two years; and for assisting the unlicensed moneylender, fined up to $300,000 and jailed for up to four years.

elena@sph.com.sg

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